No, that title doesn’t refer to the two-party political system or the stock market or the economy. I’m talking about something that’s SO rigged it’s jaw-dropping and indeed life-altering. Literally. It is undoubtedly GREATLY AFFECTING your life – and not for the better – at this very moment, as we speak.
Whenever I hear someone claiming that something is “rigged”, one word comes to mind: par-a-noi-a (bup bup bup-bup-bup), par-a-noi-a (bup bup bup-bup-bup, almost like a cheer). And that turns out to be the case virtually 100% of the time.
But there is an exception. A big one. Here’s what I mean.
The system to which the title refers, the system of which I speak, is the world system. And believe me, it is RIGGED. Big-time. Against YOU. Against me. Against the whole of humanity. But this culprit is not acting alone, it has some extremely strong and effective accomplices so let’s discuss those so you can keep them in mind throughout each day so as to enact a successful defense.
Culprit #1 is the devil – also called Satan and originally Lucifer – and all his minions, called demons. They just carry out the devil’s plans so we’ll just discuss him.
Make no mistake about it, he is the most formidable foe in the history of the universe. He was originally the second-most-powerful being in the universe, second only to God Himself. But that wasn’t enough for him. (Looks like human nature was around even before humans!) No, he felt the need to be number one, “numero uno”, the “big cheese” as described in Isaiah 14:13-14, which refers both to the king of Babylon (verse 4) and to Satan who empowered him: “But you [i.e., Satan] said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God … I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” And Ezekiel 28:13-17 does likewise – referring in part to the king of Tyre (verse 2) but verse 15 makes clear that it’s primarily about Satan – and adds even more color: “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering… and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you… you were the anointed cherub… You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you… and you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God… your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground.” It seems clear this is also what Jesus was referring to in Luke 10:18 when He said, “I was watching [speaking directly to the deity of Jesus, much like when He said “before Abraham was, I AM” inJohn 8:58] Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” The main phrase here for our purposes is “the anointed cherub” which signifies just how high and lofty and powerful a position he was given before foolishly frittering it all away because of his pride. And though his “reversal of fortune” was the second-greatest in history (I’ll discuss the first and third in a future post… see item “3.” at the very bottom or top-right of this page to automatically be notified of such), he retained (and retains, to this day) a level of power which is incomprehensible to mere mortal man.
In fact, to put just how much power he has into perspective, here’s one of the most surprising verses in the entire Bible: Jude 1:9 which says, “But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, DID NOT DARE pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’ ” Is that incredible or what?! THE MOST POWERFUL of the angels “DID NOT DARE” when it came to the devil.
But he not only has the ability to wreak havoc upon humanity but also the motivation. In John 8:44 , Jesus Himself confirms that the devil is a “murderer” by nature, “from the beginning”, and also calls him a perennial “liar, and father of lies” and that “there is NO TRUTH in him.” (How would you like to have THAT as an epitaph.)
And lest you think it’s nothing personal, that this uber-powerful enemy isn’t actively and continually aiming his formidable guns RIGHT AT YOU, the Bible saw that widespread sentiment coming from a mile away and in 1 Peter 5:8 says this: “Be on the alert [holy hypervigilance, as it were]. YOUR [whose?!] adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Ephesians 6:11 says that he is constantly “scheming” against us. That’s all he does, that’s the purpose of his very existence, to get as many people as possible to join him in hell for all eternity. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says that he “has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Doesn’t get any clearer than that! Talk about being unmasked and exposed. ALL the devil wants to do in life is to trip up believers as badly as possible and KEEP unbelievers unbelieving until it’s too late and thus have them spend all eternity with him and his minions in hell versus with God and all believers in heaven. (Um, I think I’ll opt for the latter, thank you very much.)
So culprit #1, the devil, has the means, motive, and opportunity.
Culprit #2 is the world, the world system itself. Unfortunately for those of us living in it, the first two culprits are very closely-linked. Hypocrisy and corruption have been around since the fall of man but have erupted to a whole new level in society in recent years. Isaiah 14:12 puts it like this: “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations.” The devil has corrupted entire governments and spiritually polluted entire nations. Just take a look at the world news on any given day and you’ll see what I mean, what this verse is talking about. People putting on one face “for the cameras” only to be exposed at some point as being the exact opposite of the perception they painted for others. But if anyone is surprised by such moments of unmasking, they must not have read 1 John 5:19. It’s a stunning verse, like getting a bucket of ice thrown on you as was the craze and all the rage (but for a very good purpose) in 2014-15. It confirms that “the WHOLE WORLD [i.e., system] lies in the power of the EVIL ONE.” Whoa! And 1 John 2:16 says, “For ALL that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is NOT from the Father but is from the world.” Double-whoa! And we just got done discussing what the devil’s intention and plan for mankind is so it’s wise indeed to “be on the alert” for the shenanigans he’s continually trying to pull and also the world system itself. More below on HOW to do this.
Culprit #3 is a lot more personal, hits much closer to home. Your flesh. My flesh. The flesh.
It’s challenging enough for most people, even most believers, to “withstand the wiles of the devil.” Then add to that all the lures of the world, of this world system, all the opportunities to stray it’s constantly throwing in our faces and in our way. But there’s also an “enemy within” – within our very selves. It’s called the flesh. Fallen flesh. Human nature. Corrupt, despicable, depraved. And just because a person is transformed by the saving work of Christ and the Holy Spirit and washed with the water of the Word, THAT FLESH DOESN’T GO AWAY. Nope. It’s with us ’til our dying day. We have to deal with it our ENTIRE LIVES! Even after our essence has been utterly transformed so as to be a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17), it remains ENVELOPED by the flesh until we go to heaven.
And while the devil and the world system certainly doesn’t make things easy, know who’s responsible for EVERY SINGLE TIME you or I have sinned? James 1:14 is another stunning and eye-opening verse, confirming that “EACH [and every] ONE is tempted when he is carried away by HIS OWN lust.” And verse 15 adds, “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”
I don’t think most have ever really come to terms with just what a beast is living inside them. But you know who did? The person who said this: “For I know that NOTHING GOOD dwells IN ME, that is, in MY FLESH; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.” Know who said that? Probably the greatest person ever to have walked the face of the earth other than the Lord Jesus Himself, and that’s the Apostle Paul.
IF THAT WAS TRUE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL (and we have the Holy Spirit’s confirmation that it indeed was), WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT YOU AND ME, about where WE stand? All I can say is… yikes! Double-yikes! TRIPLE-yikes!
But fear not, beloved, for I have GREAT NEWS! As uber-powerful as the devil and the world system and fallen flesh may be, they can be overcome, and quite EASILY as it turns out. Here’s HOW!
The first thing to realize is that in the overarching big picture, the devil – and by extension the world system and fallen flesh – has already been defeated, already been dealt a crushing blow. Literally. Romans 16:20 says that God “will soon crush Satan under your feet” and that said groundwork has already been fully laid by the completed (“It is FINISHED!” – John 19:30) work of Jesus Christ (a) when He died on the cross as a sacrificial lamb on OUR behalf, to pay the penalty for OUR sins, (b) when during His time in the tomb He wasn’t simply resting but rather “went and made proclamation” to the demons bound in the abyss awaiting the eternal fiery lake of hell, a proclamation of UTTER AND COMPLETE VICTORY and vanquishing and “a mighty triumph o’er his foes” as that great hymn says, and (c) when He rose again from the dead and fulfilled the prophecy of Hosea 13:14 as the front-runner of all future believers as described in 1 Corinthians 15:55 – “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (Interestingly, these three points align perfectly with 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, which is the “gospel” referenced in verse 1.)
In other words, the battle has already been won. By Christ Jesus, on our behalf. He is already victorious, therefore SO SHOULD WE BE in our daily lives. But how? Through faith: “For whatever is born of God OVERCOMES the world; and this is the VICTORY that has overcome the world – our FAITH.” (1 John 5:4)
Sounds great, but HOW do you and I actually APPROPRIATE faith, where does it come from?
Romans 10:17 couldn’t be ANY clearer: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the WORD OF GOD.” The message about Christ in specific as just discussed above and the Bible in general. THAT is what produces FAITH. Hearing, i.e., OBEYING the Bible, the Word of God. And while it’s certainly possible to do so simply by reading the Bible, it’s even easier to do so by studying the Bible – but the BEST and maximizing way is by MEMORIZING the Bible. And that’s one race you needn’t COMPLETE in order to WIN. I.e., you don’t have to memorize the WHOLE Bible to be a MASSIVE WINNER, you just need to go down that path, to memorize whatever amount on a REGULAR and preferably systematic (verse-by-verse, book-by-book) basis and trust me, the meditating and obeying WILL follow, because and as the Word itself “performs ITS work IN” you (1 Thessalonians 2:13). See what I mean? See the utter LACK, the utter ABSENCE of self-effort? Put the Bible in your HEAD/MIND (hence the logo at the top-left of this page and throughout this website) and the REST OF YOU (body, emotions, soul) will follow!
Not because of you or me, but in SPITE of us. Not because of you or me, but because of the BIBLE.
As I always say, salvation and sanctification, the Christian life, always comes down and back to the Bible. (1 Peter 1:23; Romans 10:17; John 17:17)
And the more you MEMORIZE it, the more capacity you’ll have to meditate on and obey it. 100,000% true, GUARANTEED.
So the key to appropriating in your everyday life the victory which has already been won by Christ’s completed work on Calvary’s cross is faith, which comes from the Bible. And most of all from memorizing and reciting the Bible. Let me show you an amazing passage of Scripture.
As I’ve said before, there are countless benefits of Bible memory, and I’ll delve more and more deeply into those in future posts (if you’d like to automatically be notified whenever a new post is published, simply click on the grey “Follow Bible Memory” button in item “3.” below or at the top-right of this page) but want to discuss one of those now.
One of my very favorite things about Bible memory is that it gives the Bible and the Holy Spirit FULL capacity to “go to work” in us. Fully. Maximally. As it “courses through” our entire being, our very essence – mind and therefore soul, emotions, and body. And one result of this “Bible absorption” is that when I’m reciting or meditating on one passage, the Word itself and the Holy Spirit – the REAL “dynamic duo” – will bring another verse of passage to mind so as to create the full meaning of what they’re conveying. It’s amazing how one verse – often in the same passage – can totally “light up” and “bring to life” another.
And one of my favorite examples of this – and extremely pertinent to this discussion – is found in 1 John 2.
I quoted verse 16 above (along with 5:19) to show the true nature of the world system. I dare say verse 15 is among the more familiar ones in all of Scripture, the admonition to “not love the world, nor the things in the world.” But I want to focus on what immediately precedes that. 1 John 2:13-14.
This is one of those cases that the two verses are in the same passage. Verse 13 says “I am writing to you, young men, because you have OVERCOME THE EVIL ONE.” (Told ya it was extremely pertinent! =)
Now look at what verse 14 says. “I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and THE WORD OF GOD[Bible!]ABIDES IN YOU, and you have OVERCOME THE EVIL ONE.”
Isn’t that amazing?! One verse says something, then another verse – either elsewhere in the Bible or in the same passage as here – builds upon it and totally brings it to life!
I’m sure you noticed the DIFFERENCE between those two otherwise-nearly-identical verses/phrasing. The first one mentions overcoming the evil one. Then the second one adds the adjective “strong” and the very enlightening phrase “the word of God ABIDES IN YOU“! Like I say, it ALWAYS comes back to the Bible in general and Bible MEMORY in specific! What a difference even a single phrase can make.
So HOW can you OVERCOME the rigged system which is pointing its guns directly at you each and every day? By believing that Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day just like He (and many Old Testament prophets superintended by the Holy Spirit) said He would. Then by appropriating that done-deal victory by reading or better yet studying or best of all MEMORIZING the Bible. And before you faint from pre-exhaustion at just the thought of that, rest assured that as I continue along that path of memorizing verse after verse and book after beautiful book, it is bringing into greater and greater focus a specific METHOD which is making it not just EASY (i.e., no fainting necessary) but FUN! Stay tuned to this blog and when that has fully come together or at least 95% finalized in my mind’s eye, I will share it here in a future post (or more likely, series of posts) but in the MEANTIME you can just read a verse (at least one or two a day is great for now) of the Bible over and over and over and over and ALOUD (you don’t have to shout or anything, just so your own ears can hear your mouth) and, like the hundreds and probably THOUSANDS of song lyrics you’ve memorized and could probably recite right now, you’ll be walking along the glorious and unparalleled path of Bible memory on a regular, systematic basis before you know it! And will start to SEE the countless benefits mentioned in this and the previous post. This will absolutely revolutionize your life, I GUARANTEE IT! . .
If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
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http://biblememory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMAGE-LOGO-BMO-PNG-3701x4004-IMPROVED-with-extended-y-underlines-Human-Head-with-Bible-on-multi-colored-Brain-Lobes-all-atop-Domain-Name-277x300.png00Bible Memoryhttp://biblememory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMAGE-LOGO-BMO-PNG-3701x4004-IMPROVED-with-extended-y-underlines-Human-Head-with-Bible-on-multi-colored-Brain-Lobes-all-atop-Domain-Name-277x300.pngBible Memory2020-03-22 16:25:192022-03-13 19:37:43Talk About a RIGGED System!
Jesus. Christ. Jesus Christ. The Lord. Jesus Christ the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ. The hymnist was right: there’s just something about that name!
But lest you think this is merely a continuation of the previous post, let me assure you that, well, it kinda is.
Because it’s impossible to separate the Word from the Lord or the Lord from the Word. It’s impossible to separate the Word of the Lord and the Lord of the Word. Can’t be done. So while this post is an ode to the Bible, by definition it will largely and at least indirectly be another ode to the Lord Himself. Here’s what I mean.
Have you ever realized just how closely, no, how inextricably linked the Bible is to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself?
It would probably be heretical to go so far as to say that the Bible is an actual physical, tangible “manifestation” of Christ Himself – but it IS very, very, very CLOSE to being just that! Don’t believe me? Check this out…
The Bible COULDN’T BE MORE CLEAR that:
Jesus Christ created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16) … AND (well, well, well, what do we have here?!) the Word of God created everything (Hebrews 11:3; 2 Peter 3:5)
Jesus Christ defines truth (John 14:6) … AND (well, well, well, what do we have here?!) the Word of God defines truth (John 17:17)
Jesus Christ remains the same forever (Hebrews 13:8) … AND (well, well, well, what do we have here?!) the Word of God remains the same forever (1 Peter 1:23,25; Psalm 19:9; Proverbs 30:5; Matthew 5:18; John 10:35)
Jesus Christ resides/works IN believers (2 Corinthians 13:5) … AND (well, well, well, what do we have here?!) the Word of God resides/works IN believers (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
But wait, there’s more!
It’s true that the first Chapter of the Gospel of John is abundantly clear on this subject. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. … And the Word BECAME FLESH, and dwelt AMONG US [humans, mankind], and we beheld His glory, glory as of the ONLY BEGOTTEN from the Father, full of grace and truth. JOHN [the Baptist] BORE WITNESS of Him…” (John 1:1,3,14-15a)
When that passage starts out, I suppose one could ascribe that to the Holy Spirit, too – though when combined with Colossians 1:16 I don’t think there’s any question of Whom it’s speaking, virtually verbatim. But after the first few verses, certainly by verse 14 the Bible leaves NO doubt or wiggle room: it’s absolutely referring to Jesus Christ (“became flesh”, something neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit have ever done). And it calls Him “the Word”.
I’d say that’s a pretty strong connection and link with the Bible, right? But years ago I came across a little-known verse that does so to an even greater, more explicit extent. Wanna know just HOW inextricably linked the Lord Jesus Christ is to the Bible? I give you Revelation 19:13.
The end of verse 10 makes it crystal clear (or should I say, crystal-sea clear =) that it’s speaking about Jesus: “… the testimony of JESUS; worship God. For the testimony of JESUS is the spirit of prophecy.” And verses 11-12 describe His horse and appearance and activities and nature and then verse 13 says it all: “… and His name is called THE WORD OF GOD.” Hmm, so is the BIBLE!
Ergo, any ode to the Bible will, by extension if not definition, in effect be an ode to the Lord Jesus Christ, too, so… BONUS! .
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And indeed, it is that very link to, that inextricable association with the Lord Jesus that gives the Bible its power. If it had emanated, if it had flown forth from ANYONE else but God, from ANY other person, it wouldn’t have such infinite power. But even then it would still contain a TON of great advice and wisdom – e.g., wouldn’t we gobble up (Jeremiah 15:16; Job 23:12) and heed every word of ANY AND ALL of Paul’s writings, even the non-canonical ones which weren’t Spirit-breathed? Of course. Why? Because the more exposure one can have to someone who is so wise and spiritually mature and such a great imitator of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) and so utterly exhibits the fruit of the Spirit, the BETTER! In fact, while I am not and shall NEVER (in this life, on this side of heaven) be even a MILLIONTH of the person the Apostle Paul was, what I have found is that simply storing large amounts, ENTIRE BOOKS of the Bible INSIDE OF ME (Bible memory) and then meditating on those (a-u-t-o-m-a-t-i-c – more on that in a future post) and obeying those, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and being controlled by (filled with) the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-21) and the Word (Colossians 3:16-17 … hmm, those two lists of characteristics are virtually the SAME! More on this too in a future post… if you want to automatically be notified whenever a new post is published, simply click on the grey “Follow Bible Memory” button in item “3.” below or at the top-right of this page) have skyrocketed in my life. Yes, still a VERY long way to go, methinks I’ve just begun to scratch the surface, but the Bible ingested (memorized), the “rich indwelling” of the Bible in a person’s – any person’s – mind ergo soul/spirit and body is so powerful that it WILL affect and benefit other people even just by PROXIMITY. As I always say, there are no shortcuts per se – the ONLY way to MAXIMIZE the benefits of the Bible is to INGEST (memorize and recite and thus be most fully able to meditate on and obey) it – BUT my firm and strong assertion is that even just putting yourself in PROXIMITY to someone who HAS done that and IS doing that – like by regularly reading and even re-reading and heeding these posts, supporting this historic effort and resultant ministries in whatever ways you’re able, etc. – will still produce a lot of fruit and rewards in YOUR life. It has nothing to do with the vessel; it has EVERYTHING to do with the Bible.
And make no mistake about it: the Bible is unlike any other book in the universe. It and it alone is “living and abiding” (1 Peter 1:23); it is “living and active” and “sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit [what other book could ever do that?!], of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart [ditto].” (Hebrews 4:12) (just as a very timely aside, note that verse 13 immediate flows into speaking of the Lord Jesus… like I said, inextricably linked!); it is “inspired by God and PROFITABLE for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness [WOW!]; that the man of God may be adequate, EQUIPPED for EVERY GOOD work. [double-WOW!]” (2 Timothy 3:16-17); it is “perfect, RESTORING THE SOUL” [triple-WOW! What other book could even DREAM of being able to do THAT?!], it is “sure, MAKING WISE the simple” [ditto!], it is “right, REJOICING THE HEART” [Amen! I can definitely testify to that firsthand… and so will you! Just watch!], it is “pure, enlightening the eyes”, it is “clean, enduring forever”, it is “true” and “righteous altogether”, and it is “more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb”, and in heeding/obeying it “there is GREAT REWARD”! (Psalm 19:7-11); and I could go on forever (literally! quite literally!) but will finish (for now) by adding that when “hidden/treasured in [one’s] heart” he or she “may NOT SIN” (Psalm 119:11; cf, verse 9). I can honestly say that, because of just how sweet indeed the Bible is, like the Psalmist I “DELIGHT in” it and “shall not forget it” (Psalm 119:16,47), that my “delight is in” it and “in [it I] meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2), and like the Apostle Paul “I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man” (Romans 7:22). Amen.
One of the things I love most about the Bible is that all I have to do is INGEST (memorize) it! Because IT will do the rest: it will produce/grow faith in my life (Romans 10:17) and it WILL “perform its work in” me (1 Thessalonians 2:13). ZERO self-effort needed. ZERO “leaning on one’s own understanding” needed. THE BIBLE DOES IT ALL! Except for that initial ingesting. It won’t do that. This first step is wholly, fully, and solely up to YOU!
With such TANGIBLE and POWERFUL benefits and “GREAT REWARD” as those listed above, why would anyone NOT ingest as much of the Bible as possible? Two main reasons.
First, “I don’t have the time.” This one is very easy to dispel, because, come on, seriously, EVERYONE can set aside even just 15 minutes to memorize a verse or two a day, even if just the first or last 15 minutes of the day, right? Just wake up or go to bed a mere 15 minutes earlier and there’s your ample time. Easy-peasy. Anyone can do it.
Second, “I’m just no good at memorizing, I’m just not skilled at memorization, I just can’t memorize a whole lot.”
Hmm, that’s funny, because I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that you could recite the lyrics of HUNDREDS of songs right now. Am I right or am I really right? Did I just hit a home run or a grand slam? Of course you can memorize. Even CHILDREN can memorize and recite the lyrics of countless songs (hopefully not just those they see on TV), the pledge of allegiance, school plays, etc., right? Right.
So why on earth would EVERYONE not voraciously devour (Jeremiah 15:16; Job 23:12) something that is SO sweet and delicious and beneficial – not just in this life but also in the life to come, even extending to all eternity?
I’ll tell you exactly why. Because, as quoted from Psalm 19:8 above, it will “enlighten the eyes.” It will quite literally OPEN YOUR EYES. To a lot of things but probably first on that list chronologically-speaking, if you ingest (memorize and recite and meditate on and obey) the Bible, it will open your eyes to how righteous God is … and how righteous we aren’t. It will bring one’s sinfulness right to the fore. Front and center. Inescapable. Even for those most highly-skilled at denial and self-deception. Because, as also quoted above, from Hebrews 4:12, it truly is “sharper than any two-edged sword” and truly does “pierce as far as the division of soul and spirit” (think about that for a second, amazing) and truly does “judge/discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” You know, that “heart” which is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked/sick” (Jeremiah 17:9), or as Solomon would say (and did! – in Ecclesiastes 9:3), “The hearts of the sons of men are FULL of evil, and INSANITY is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.” (The first thought that hits me is that I don’t think I’d ever want to invite “Ecclesiastes” Solomon to a dinner party. Yikes! “Proverbs” Solomon? Absolutely. Every day of the week and twice on Sunday. But he clearly lost his way, lost his fastball as they say. He went from being at the peak to simply becoming very bleak.)
But hand-in-hand with that is the fact that 99.9% of people hate even the thought of giving up control of their mind. In any and every OTHER way this is a good and healthy hesitance. After all, Jesus Himself demonstrated this in John 2:24-25 – “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men (human nature), and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man for He Himself knew what was in man.” But when it comes to God and the Bible, one should desperately WANT to cede control – why? Because (a) God and the living Word are infinitely WISER than we are and KNOW us yet LOVE us infinitely more than we love ourselves and ALWAYS have OUR best interest in mind, and – even just from a purely human standpoint – (b) that’s the way to GAIN self-control, to GIVE it to God! Ephesians 5:18 says to “be controlled by (usually translated ‘filled with’) the [Holy] Spirit” and Galatians 5:23 makes clear that the result (fruit) is (drum roll, please) SELF-CONTROL. Is that amazing or what?! The vast majority of people yearn for a greater and greater sense of self-control in their lives, and rightly so, but they go about it the entirely wrong way: they seek to hoard it versus giving it to God, which is the ONLY path to a maximum and ever-increasing sense of self-control. When the object of ceding control is God via the Bible,control GIVEN turns into control GAINED! The world – and sadly even many professing Christians – have this TOTALLY BACKWARDS.
And THAT is why 99.9% of people won’t ingest the “miracle pill” that IS the Bible. Because it’s very uncomfortable to human nature in general to give up control, and deep down they know that the Bible is infinitely effective at revealing the truth not just about God but about ourselves. About yourself. About myself. So most people keep depriving themselves of infinite benefit because they don’t get past that very difficult first phase, they don’t get past the initial discomfort. .
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But everything above only dealt with the spiritual and emotional and relational and mental aspects of life, the intangibles. What if I told you that Bible memory also produces amazing tangible effects? What if I told you that it even produces phenomenal PHYSICAL HEALTH? Don’t believe me? My oh my, we do have much to discuss.
Let’s start with the far less important, far less weighty but not insignificant firsthand testimony/experience: I started memorizing Bible verses when I was young (BMA, AWANA, etc.) and into my teenage years and I almost NEVER got sick that entire time growing up. (Though I did ”fake sick” a lot so I could stay home from school and play video games, I have to admit that. =) And I kept right on going as I became a man and guess what, I haven’t had to go to the doctor’s or the hospital EVEN A SINGLE TIME in my ENTIRE ADULT LIFE. Not even once. Talk about a GREAT healthcare plan! The best! Fact: I have NEVER even THOUGHT about getting health insurance my ENTIRE ADULT LIFE. (The only time I did so was when the government passed a law that required it, and it was cheaper to go ahead and get the insurance than pay the fine for not doing so, widely known as the “individual mandate”). Every single day I feel like I’m going to live past 100 if I die at all! No joke. Not sure that’s what’ll actually happen (the 100+ part) but that’s absolutely how I feel all the time so I’ll take it! Humbly but gladly.
So there’s that, very strong firsthand experience. But like I said, that and a dollar will get ya a cup of coffee (at most fast-food restaurants anyway). I mean, my lifelong physical health could just be the result of good genes and not have anything to do with the Bible, right? WRONG! Here’s why.
The Bible is crystal-sea clear that “godliness actually is a means of GREAT GAIN” (1 Timothy 6:6). Yeah but, you might be thinking, yeah but couldn’t that just mean that it yields great gain in eternity, in heaven, in the life to come, regarding just spiritual things? And my reply is likewise yeah but what about 1 Timothy 4:8 which clearly doth state that “godliness is PROFITABLE for ALL things, since it holds promise for the PRESENT LIFE [what?! for the PRESENT LIFE] [okay, that’s what I thought] and also for the life to come.” So, yes, of course it produces tremendous benefit for the next life, for all eternity… but it DOESN’T STOP THERE, it ALSO produces tremendous benefit in THIS life, this present life, this earthly, human life in which we all find ourselves as we speak.
“Yeah but,” I can almost hear you thinking, “but that doesn’t specifically mean that PHYSICAL HEALTH will necessarily be included in those “present life” benefits and promise, right DJ Bible?” To which I have another “yeah but” of my own: yeah, but is not sickness and disease and indeed death itself – the extension and ultimate conclusion of those things – not produced by sin, are not those things the RESULT of sin? Of course, as stated perhaps most clearly in Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is DEATH” – and James 1:15 says, “when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” … doesn’t get any clearer than that! Although Romans 5:12 comes in with a solid tie, confirming that “just as through one man sin entered into the world, and DEATH THROUGH SIN, and so DEATH spread to all men, BECAUSE all SINNED.”
So if there were something that prevents sin, wouldn’t it also, by definition, prevent the results of sin, too? Like disease and sickness and illness?
Doesn’t even nature itself make this abundantly clear? If we destroy the root does the dandelion remain? If we destroy the root, can a plant or flower or tree remain alive? Clearly not. So if there were something, anything in the universe that actually prevents sin, would you not agree that it would also prevent disease and sickness?
I’m here to tell you that I have found such a thing. Take a wild guess what that is. Yep, the Bible. Psalm 119:11 – “Thy word I have treasured/hidden in my heart [mind, not the physical heart, with atria and ventricles]that I may NOT SIN” – is that amazing or what?! The Bible is the only tangible thing that can actually PREVENT SIN! And therefore the results of sin like illness and disease.
Prevention is very key here in my view. Because, while I personally believe it to be so, I can’t be dogmatic that memorizing the Bible will CURE a disease or illness already in a person (but see below why I think this is so, for the main verse which suggests if not asserts this, which connotes if not denotes such). I firmly believe it would and intend to initiate multiple clinical trials to PROVE that, but that’ll take some time, so in the meanwhile please do yourself and your children or nieces or nephews the biggest favor and start ingesting the Bible through Bible memory on a regular, systematic basis. It will change your life, GUARANTEED.
I think the point has already been made, even without using the sharpest tool in that particular shed. But I would and could not end this conversation without sharing this final verse with you about the Bible and physical health. Let’s call it the clincher. The skepticism-crusher. The cleanup hitter. You get the point.
If you’ve already watched the “Overview” video on the home page (and I strongly encourage you to do so) then you already know the answer but here it is again and for anyone who hasn’t: Proverbs 4:22 – “For they” [pointing back to the “my words” of verse 20, referring to His words and collectively His Word, the Bible] “For they are LIFE to those who find them…” That’s quite a statement, no? Indeed. But believe it or not, this verse doesn’t stop there but becomes even more explicit in the matter: “For they are LIFE to those who find them, and HEALTH to ALL their WHOLE BODY.” What a verse! What an amazing verse! What an amazing truth!
Let’s hone in even further on a few of these words and that’ll do it for this post.
“life” (Hebrew, hay-yim) – life but also carries the sense of active, reviving, flowing, fresh, green (like vegetation), sustenance, maintenance, appetite, and renewal … sounds good to me!
“find” (Hebrew, la-mo-sa-e-hem) – find, secure, ACQUIRE, attain to, get, meet, encounter, discover, detect, recognize, TO BE IN THE POSSESSION OF
While reading the Bible is good, and studying it is even better (2 Timothy 2:15, the “key verse” for the AWANA program, of which I have countless childhood memories – and the hundreds of Bible verses memorized then still live with me today, just amazing, what a great ministry!), there is NO better way to “be in possession of” it and “acquire” and “discover” and “find” it then to memorize it, to ingest it, to get it in of you, to swallow it up! Think about it: who can best meditate on the Bible than one who has memorized it and thus can “call it up” and “call upon it” and recall it literally at ANY time? At a stop light, in a traffic jam, during the 7th inning stretch or halftime of a sporting event, while showering… the possibilities are virtually endless! And who can best obey the Bible than one who has memorized it? Exactly. Nobody. That’s the best and easiest way for a person to obey; automatic it doth be when God’s own words do dwell in thee! Like the famous tagline for Porsche cars, when it comes to Bible memory, there is no substitute. And the benefits are as endless as the possibilities.
The healing aspect in general was to be expected, but I find it very interesting that this word also was used to include a FINANCIAL term (“profit”) and PSYCHOLOGICAL/EMOTIONAL term (“soundness of mind”)
The reason I say I wouldn’t put it past the Bible for a minute to have the full capacity not just to prevent sickness and disease but even to CURE them is that this word was also used and often translated as “cure”
However, as we’ll discuss further in a moment, the word “body” does seem to emphasize physical health as the primary point here – but the financial and psychological/emotional aspects/benefits should absolutely not be overlooked much less discarded here… why? Because:
Psalm 1:1 starts by saying “HAPPY” (also translated “blessed”) is the one who “delights in and meditates on” the Bible! I’d say that covers the psychological/emotional realm, but how about the financial? Yep, there’s a verse for that. Actually THREE which speak to that directly:
Psalm 1:3 says of that one who “delights in and meditates on the Bible”, that he or she “will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither, and in WHATEVER he does, he PROSPERS.” What? PROSPERS. Come again? PROSPERS. Did I hear that correctly? Yes, PROSPERS.
Hebrew, yas-li-ah: to PROSPER, SUCCEED, advance, BE PROFITABLE
Joshua 1:8 – And lest you think that maybe David was just having an extra nice time in the fields that day when he may have written Psalm 1 (he wrote Psalms 3-9 and half [49%] of the 150 total so there’s a very good chance he did indeed write the first one, too), this verse says the very same thing: “This book of the law [i.e., the Bible] shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall MEDITATE [see note just below, very interesting!] on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for THEN you will make your way PROSPEROUS, and THEN you will have SUCCESS.”
Note that this verse not only uses the exact same word “prosper” as Psalm 1:3 but ADDS another: “success”. Couldn’t. Be. Even. A. Smidgen. Clearer.
I love that word “then” here. There’s a chronology to this. Ever heard someone say, “If only God made me prosperous, I’d read the Bible every day”? It’s the other way around: if you absorb the Bible, THEN you’ll be prosperous and have success.
I also love that word WILL. It’s definitive, not wishy-washy or uncertain. It’s a GUARANTEE (result) from God HIMSELF, right in His flawless Word!
But the one I’d like to focus on most is that word which most versions of the Bible have translated as “meditate” but wanna take a wild guess what that word REALLY is in the original, in Hebrew? It’s we-ha-gi-ta and is best translated as RECITE. Interesting, eh? And not just anything but specifically the BIBLE. Ding ding ding! It’s not saying that it’s necessarily WRONG to recite other things, but this promise, this God-given guarantee only pertains to ONE thing, and that’s the Bible.
James 1:25 – And lest you think maybe this is just some quaint notion from the Old Testament, this verse conveys the exact same message: “But one who looks at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it [i.e., the Bible], not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man SHALL be BLESSED in WHAT he does.”
Just like the two verses above, this one leaves no room for doubt or uncertainty: “SHALL”!
The “WHAT” here echoes the “WHATEVER” of Psalm 1:3
But the one I’d like to focus on most for this verse is that word “BLESSED”: Hebrew, makarios (not macaroni, nor macarena – though I wouldn’t be surprised a bit if those two sprang from the same root word) which is best translated as “HAPPY”. It also means to be blessed, to be envied, to be fortunate, to be well off
So while here in Proverbs 4:22 the primary emphasis seems to be on the physical realm due to that word “body”, the Bible clearly testifies of its powerful benefit in the spiritual, emotional, psychological, and even financial realms
“all the whole” (Hebrew, u-le-kal) – all, the whole, the whole of, each and every, totality, everything
In modern-day English we might say “the whole shebang” or “the whole ball of wax” or “from A to Z”
I love the emphasized sense of “totality”, NOTHING LACKING OR EXCLUDED, i.e., there’s not a single part of the body which is immune to the power of the ingested Word, of Bible memory, and also the fact that it’s not just capable of bringing partial healing or prevention or physical benefit but COMPLETE AND TOTAL
“body” (Hebrew, be-sa-row) – the body, of the body, mankind, all living things, kindred, blood-relations
As referenced above, the presence of this word leaves no doubt or wiggle room that the Bible is making utterly clear that the power and effect and efficacy and work of the Bible is not limited to the spiritual or emotional or relational but also and even to the PHYSICAL realm, to one’s PHYSICAL health
I am absolutely certain, ZERO doubt, that when I do organize some clinical trials they will reveal across the board that Bible memory, ingesting the Word of God into one’s body by way of one’s mind, is THE BEST HEALTHCARE PLAN IN THE UNIVERSE! I’m living proof, now I seek to prove that this is a universal truth and not just specific to me or that my experience was merely due to inheriting “good genes” or enjoying exercise (those certainly don’t hurt but aren’t the cause)
Which would you say is the more difficult task, to heal/restore a body or a soul? I think virtually everyone would agree that the latter is infinitely more difficult (and indeed, outside of the Bible and things pertaining to God, downright impossible). So since the Bible can and does and will “restore the soul” (Psalm 19:7), who could rationally argue that it can’t restore a body? This verse leaves NO DOUBT about that, NO WIGGLE ROOM in this matter. And aren’t you glad for this? I know I am! Tangible, day-after-day and hour-after-hour ongoing benefit which makes such a difference in one’s quality of life, not to mention the eternal benefits!
As I began this post, so I’ll end it: the Bible is like no other book. It was involved in the very creation of the universe, it never fails, never changes, never hedges, never wavers but DOES gladden, make WISE, and open the eyes! (Psalm 19:7-8) Or the acronym I like to use: Wise Intelligent/insightful Spiritual Happy … every parent’s – and every person’s – W.I.S.H.!
Unfortunately there’s nothing I can do to shield you from the fact that if you decide to heed my call, this blaring trumpet, for BIBLE MEMORY on a regular, systematic basis, it will reveal not only God but also your true nature to yourself. Inescapable. And wonderful. AFTER you get over the initial hump. Believe me, at the VERY beginning, the VERY FIRST step you take down this road, on this journey, it’ll be the MOST SPIRITUALLY-DIFFICULT thing you’ve ever done. And the most rewarding. Difficult in that the ingested Bible will absolutely and immediately go to work in your mind and reveal a lot of things about yourself to yourself – to your mind, your mind’s eye – that 99.9% of people would rather not see about themselves. But if YOU don’t stop there, NEITHER WILL IT! Because along with revealing those things to you, it will simultaneously start KNOCKING THEM OUT more thoroughly and consistently than a heavyweight boxing world champ could even dream. It will “perform its work IN you” just like 1 Thessalonians 2:13 says. (That’s not a promise so much as a STATEMENT OF FACT. Accomplishing its work is just WHAT IT DOES!) And will result in all the other benefits discussed above.
You might’ve noticed that I just said it would be the most spiritually-difficult thing you’ve ever done. That’s because it destroys the flesh and sin in your life (Psalm 119:9,11) and the LAST thing the flesh and sin want is to be eradicated and destroyed! They (the flesh and sin and the devil) want to stick around and control you (2 Timothy 2:26 speaks of unbelievers coming “to their senses and escape from the SNARE of the DEVIL, having been HELD CAPTIVE by him TO DO HIS WILL” … nuff said). Body, mind, and soul. That’s just what THEY do. (To the extent that one lets them, that one doesn’t put up the proper defense – Ephesians 6:10-18) and especially verse 17‘s “the SWORD of the Spirit, which is the word of God” and OUT OF WHICH all the other weapons of spiritual warfare flow, more on this in a future post.) So they will battle most vigorously to KEEP you from ingesting the Bible, that divine “medicine”. They’ll pull out all the stops. But they don’t stand a chance against the Bible. If you “abide” and KEEP going along the wonderful, unparalleled path of Bible memory. It’s nothing less than an all-out battle for your mind, for your soul, for your body, for your very life. The only question is which one you’re going to let WIN. It’s either “A” or “B” in this case, no in between. If one doesn’t choose the Bible as the winner then the flesh/sin/devil WILL be. It’s like my parents used to tell me as a child: either the Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible. Don’t believe me? Just look BACK on your life to this point, to this very minute. Which side have you allowed to win that war?
I encourage every parent to get their children (or nieces or nephews or neighborhood kids, etc.) to start memorizing the Bible as soon as possible. ASAP. In medical jargon, STAT! Because it’s every bit as critical as a patient who’s bleeding to death from a gunshot wound on a hospital operating table. And because it’s never too early to start memorizing the Bible on a regular, systematic basis but you know what? It’s never too late to start, either. And the prayer of my life is that you will heed this call and do yourself the biggest favor ever. Both in terms of this life and the one to come, eternity. And that you’ll then spread the word and encourage others (and if you have children, MAKE and even PAY them) to do likewise.
For years I’ve been pleading with the Lord to bring about revival in this nation and planet once again, as He has done from time to time in the past. And I believe He will do so for yet another time BUT that such will ONLY happen if and to the extent that you and I ingest and infuse ourselves, our minds, our bodies, our souls, our very beings with the Bible – the living and active and abiding and eternal Word of the living God – and then spread that to others. Hand the flesh and sin and the devil himself a crushing blow, a devastating uppercut, by getting into your mind the very thing – the ONLY thing – that can defeat them and end their hold on your life. That can and will overcome and vanquish any addiction known to man, no doubt about it. “Because greater is He who is IN you than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) and so is His Word, the Bible.
And while Bible memory on a regular, systematic basis AT FIRST will (not might) be the most spiritually-difficult thing you’ve ever done or will ever do, I am thrilled to tell you that as I have memorized entire books of the Bible, as I have gone through that process and progressed along that wonderful path, the Bible has been fulfilling its “enlightening the eyes” work (Psalm 19:8) in a very TANGIBLE way such that it is literally revealing to me and unfolding in my mind piece by piece a specific METHOD which believe it or not makes this not just EASY but a ton of FUN! And believe me, when I first started, when I took the first step on this path, it was ANYTHING BUT “fun”! It was downright daunting. But I believe the Lord and the Bible itself have shown me that, have revealed that method to me, not only so I can successfully complete His calling in my life to be the first person in known human history to memorize and recite the entire Bible but also and equally so I can share it with others so the only obstacle will be mustering the courage to have the truth about yourself, your inner person, revealed to you, everything after that first phase will be easy and fun and indescribably rewarding. As stated on the home page, I expect that method to be finalized, to come together in full or at least fully enough (95+%) in my own mind that I can then share it with others so stay tuned, it’ll change your life and those around you, just watch and see! I guarantee. Not only has it produced massive and constant joy in my day-to-day life but it has also turned my brain into the proverbial “sponge” – it literally soaks in everything and forgets nothing. Not even more minor things like meetings or schedules or to-do lists. This will be one of your favorite things about Bible memory, how it turns the human brain into a super-brain as it were, downright amazing, and impossible to fully describe with mere words but I think you get the gist. And this is just one of countless benefits!
Bible memory is the single MOST IMPORTANT thing in the Christian life. Why? Because while worship is crucial, it is informed by the Bible. While praying is vital, it too is informed by the Bible. Same with fellowship. And while sharing the Gospel of Christ with others is undoubtedly THE MAIN function of our continued presence in this earthly life. Because it’s the ONLY godly thing we won’t be ABLE to do in heaven, i.e., we’ll worship 100% better in heaven, we’ll pray 100% better in heaven, we’ll definitely fellowship 100% better in heaven – but we’ll evangelize 0% better in heaven, won’t even be ABLE to do THAT one. Which is the main reason God doesn’t take us straight to heaven the instant we’re saved, because I guarantee you He’ll be much (much, much, much, much, i.e,. infinitely) more pleased by our worship and praise and prayers there than how we do those things here! And yet…
Bible memory is the most IGNORED action in the Christian life. Hands down, bar none.
Bible memory should be viewed less as an activity, more as a LIFESTYLE. It’s not so much something one does but who one is and becomes (and becomes and becomes, i.e., a consistent, ever-increasing transformation to become more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ – just as 2 Corinthians 3:18 says!)
The Lord Jesus Christ and our heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ are my first love. And that order is because but for the Lord, I could never have peace with God or be indwelt much less filled with the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:1; 8:9), it all starts and ends with Jesus. (Just like that list.) But without a doubt, my second love is the Bible. Third place is so far behind so as practically not to even exist. This post began with several ways in which the Bible is inextricably linked to and inseparable from the Lord, so it seems a very fitting end that just as He is the bridge between us and the Father and Holy Spirit, so also the Bible is the bridge between us and the Lord. It leads us and guides us to a saving knowledge of Him (2 Timothy 3:15). It is indeed “a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). It is indeed “better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces” (Psalm 119:72) and “more desirable than gold, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10) so how on earth could I come to any other conclusion than to affirm with a whole heart that “I SHALL NOT FORGET THY WORD” (Psalm 119:46).
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If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
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4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
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http://biblememory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMAGE-LOGO-BMO-PNG-3701x4004-IMPROVED-with-extended-y-underlines-Human-Head-with-Bible-on-multi-colored-Brain-Lobes-all-atop-Domain-Name-277x300.png00Bible Memoryhttp://biblememory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMAGE-LOGO-BMO-PNG-3701x4004-IMPROVED-with-extended-y-underlines-Human-Head-with-Bible-on-multi-colored-Brain-Lobes-all-atop-Domain-Name-277x300.pngBible Memory2020-03-22 16:23:492023-01-17 11:16:54An Ode to the Bible, a Call to Bible Memory, and the Best Healthcare Plan EVER!
Now that the backstory, explanation, and vision for this blog have been noted (very fitting at the very beginning), I want this first non-foundational post to be an expression of my appreciation and love for the most amazing person in human history, who just so happens to be the second Person of the Holy Trinity. God Himself. One with the Father. Infinite co-worker with the Holy Spirit in helping us get through this life which is so perennially full of perilous and pernicious potential pitfalls.
I am of course speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Humility/submission/selflessness would have to be one of the qualities which goes against human nature most fiercely. (Along with patience.) Starting at the original fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. And ever since. So it’s not surprising that Philippians 2:5-11 is such a well-known and beloved passage of Scripture. But it actually starts with 2:1-2 in speaking of love and affection and compassion among believers and being of the same mind and united, not divided. ONE body, one mind. And then takes it a layer deeper in specifically talking about HOW such interpersonal, interrelational unity is accomplished – namely, by having EVERYONE eschew selfishness and “empty” conceit (what a perfectly descriptive word! so true! conceit is so UNfulfilling) and instead focus on the needs of others, not just our own, and introduces the world “humility” there in verse 3 so the more familiar verses 5-11 are really just elaborating and “fleshing out” (no pun intended… as in humility gets the FLESH OUT of the picture, out of one’s mind) that principle.
And surely the beloved and amazing Apostle Paul, the writer of Philippians, and absolutely, positively the Holy Spirit – the writer of Philippians (talk about a brain-twister… who wrote the book of Philippians, Paul or the Holy Spirit? Answer: YES!) – KNEW that there was no greater illustration of humility anywhere in the entire UNIVERSE than the Lord Jesus.
I don’t know about you but from time to time in my life it has been very easy and natural for a familiar passage in particular to go through my mind without my really THINKING about exactly what it’s saying, what it’s inferring, the details and color of the communicated facts. MEMORIZING Scripture certainly helps reduce that tremendously – but not totally, not completely (not in this life!) so it still happens from time to time, and this passage used to be no exception.
The point that Jesus is the very picture of humility is obvious. But have you ever stopped to really consider just what He did? And not for Himself, mind you, but for others, for us, for you and for me. Let’s take a minute to consider exactly WHAT He did and not just gloss over it like I did for years.
He was 100% God. Full deity. Omnipotent, infinite power. Omniscient, infinite knowledge. Omnipresent, not bound by time or external factors of any kind or in any way, shape, or form.
And what did He do? What did He do? He voluntarily gave up the willful use of His deity and took on all the limitations of humanity outside of sin, He wasn’t touched by that but DID go through everything else we do in this life as clearly stated in Hebrews 2:17-18 – “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in ALL things, that He might become a merciful [since He knows exactly what you and I are going through at any given time in our lives] and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For SINCE He HIMSELF was tempted [i.e., in His humanity; cf, Matthew 4; Hebrews 4:15 and James 1:13] in that which He has suffered, HE IS ABLE to come to the aid of those who are tempted. [i.e., of you and me!]” – and as set forth in 1 John 2:15-17 [which if you think about it, are the three areas to which ALL sins can be boiled down and correspond perfectly – and not coincidentally – to Matthew 4].
I’d say that’s giving up an awful lot! The pure pleasure and power of deity in exchange for all the rigors and challenges and functional limitations of humanity – oh yeah, and having to look forward to PHYSICAL DEATH? Who in the universe would ever agree to such a deal?! Would you??? I don’t think I ever would, sorry, I love you all and am happy to spend my entire life savings on this website/ministry but NO WAY would I make that trade! Deity for humanity? NO WAY! But Jesus did.
But it wasn’t just a matter of all the issues of human life and even physical death per se that he voluntarily took on, but the worst kind of physical death. Crucifixion. “Death on a cross” as verse 8 puts it (Philippians 2:8).
I have to admit that one of the specific events I’ve most thanked God for in my lifetime was Mel Gibson’s decision to fund the production of the movie The Passion of the Christ himself when the studios were unwilling, because I can’t think of another event along with the horrific and tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks which has put such a widespread focus on God, church, etc., and in the case of the former, far more specifically on the Person and work of Jesus. As an aside, I believe that both of these events were allowed and used by God for a very specific purpose: to “blare out” to the entire world the importance of settling one’s eternal destiny before it’s too late. The Bible is clear that most people are not going to Heaven. Matthew 7:13-14 says that “the gate is WIDE, and the way is BROAD that leads to destruction, and MANY are those who enter [i.e., the afterlife, eternity] by it” but that “the gate is SMALL, and the way is NARROW that leads to life [i.e., Heaven], and [comparatively, c.f., Revelation 7:9]FEW are those who find it.” So it’s very safe to assume that most of those who died in those towers or the Pentagon or on those airplanes on September 11, 2001, did not resolve of this most important matter in all of life, where one will spend all eternity. Do you think they had thought about that many times? Undoubtedly. The first line of Ecclesiastes 3:11 is very well-known: “He [God] has made everything appropriate in its time.” But its second line is less so, yet very pertinent: “He has also SET ETERNITY in their heart” – so, yeah, those people thought about it just like you and I have throughout our lives. And just as God used Noah to “blare out” the end of the ancient world (2 Peter 2:5) before at some point [when His patience stopped “waiting” – 1 Peter 3:20] shutting the ark’s door and those unbelievers OUT forever, so also I firmly believe that God is using certain events of a massive, world’s-attention-grabbing scale like 9/11 and that self-made movie about a crucifixion of all things which had “no chance” of succeeding doing just that, and succeeding so wildly that the world writ large couldn’t avoid focusing on and talking about it for many months, I believe He is using these events to “blare out” the end of the modern world. And one of the pressing motivations of my life is this question: how many people, just like in Noah’s days, will fail to resolve their eternal destination before it’s too late and thus get “shut out” of Heaven forever? In my view, nothing better captures the word “haunting” than that. I often think that if God just gave the world the slightest taste of Heaven while they’re still alive and on Earth virtually EVERYONE would give their life to Him and be saved. But I also think that just giving the world the slightest taste of Hell would probably be just as effective, given how human nature often responds even better to so-called “negative reinforcement” than the positive variety. It would quite literally scare Hell OUT OF people, scare people out of an eternity in Hell. Anyway, all of that was an aside, the long and scenic route of saying that while and for that reason the widespread release and success and discussion of that movie has been among the greatest items of thanks and praise to the Lord in my life, after hearing about how graphically His crucifixion was depicted therein I just couldn’t bring myself to see it, to sit through that, to actually go watch it, but I’m sure many of you were able to so you probably have an even better idea of exactly what Jesus voluntarily took on when He became a man.
But you know what really hits me about this passage, Philippians 2:5-11? It’s not so much what He went through as a man but rather as a fetus and baby! As a man, He knew exactly who He was, that He was “God in flesh appearing” as the world sings every Christmas season. As a man, Matthew 26:53 makes clear that He was utterly aware that He could ask and God the Father would “at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels [i.e., 72,000]“. So although it’s very true that He suffered a humanly-horrific death on the cross for us, on our behalf, He did so voluntarily and with a sense of control, knowing that He could’ve nipped that entire situation in the bud (to put it mildly… just read the last-in-the-New-Testament book of Revelation to see what just ONE angel is capable of, now think of 72 THOUSAND) if He had wanted to. But when He voluntarily became a BABY and before that a FETUS growing inside the virgin Mary’s womb after being conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18), in my view that’s a whole other level of humility. I think just about everyone will agree that giving up control is perhaps THE most difficult single action in all of human life. I dare say – and indeed it’s proven all the time – that most would rather die with control than to live without it. That’s essentially at the heart of mass shootings, isn’t it? These shooters feel a massive lack of control in life and rather than live without a sense of control they prefer to die (usually immediately) with one, borne of the warped attempt to put themselves in the role of God by deciding who lives and who dies, by deciding whom they shoot and whom they do not. So it’s safe to say that giving up control is perhaps THE MOST DIFFICULT thing in the human experience. Yet that’s exactly what Jesus did. I mean, talk about going from one (infinite) extreme to another! He went from being totally and utterly in control of everything, of the entire universe, to being totally and utterly DEPENDENT on Mary, on Joseph to feed and protect Him in His early years, and of course on His heavenly Father the entire way. Babies are the very picture of dependence. They have ZERO inherent control. None. Nada. Zilch! I can’t even imagine on this side of adulthood how hard it would be to be a fetus and baby once again (no thanks!), much less how much infinitely greater a sacrifice it was for Jesus to go not from being a human adult to a fetus/baby but from the voluntary use of His deity including omnipotence, INFINITE control, to a fetus/baby. I dare say He’s the ONLY one who would EVER make that trade, agree to that deal, and He did that not for Himself but for you and me, because He knew that if He didn’t we’d all be doomed to an eternity in Hell.
So I’m honored and thrilled to take the opportunity of this first non-foundational post to publicly thank and praise Him for His incomprehensible humility and self-sacrifice and love, all beautifully demonstrated just in that single act of becoming not just a man but a fetus and baby. Amazing love, how can it be? Indeed.
Since, unlike God, we ARE bound by time and schedules, I should probably end this post here and discuss His many other qualities in-depth in future posts, so I’ll end this one simply by saying that He is my best friend, the best I’ve ever had by far. He’s my Savior who freed me from an otherwise-certain eternity in the unquenchable fire and unending, unimaginable torture of Hell. He’s my strength and my power. He’s my continual example and motivation in life. He IS my life, my everything, my all, and I guess in an inverse way I understand the (warped, in their case) rationale and choice of those mass shooters because I would absolutely, positively, in-a-proverbial-heartbeat rather die with Christ than to live without Him. A-n-y d-a-y of the week and twice (literally!) on Sunday. I love Him with all of my heart, for all He does, yes, but even more for who He is and all that He means to me. Thank You, Lord, for always being there for me, for being such a great shield and comfort, for being such a great friend and constant companion, such a merciful high priest, for being my Lord but one whose burden is indeed so very light, for being my Lord but never “lording it over me”, for being utterly unashamed of me – even to call me BROTHER (Hebrews 2:11) and being willing to share Your indescribably massive inheritance with me (Romans 8:17; Colossians 1:12), for helping me resolve – or be content with – my weaknesses and simultaneously being the strength of my life.
. .
If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
5. Share this poston your social media by clicking on one or more of these platforms:
http://biblememory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMAGE-LOGO-BMO-PNG-3701x4004-IMPROVED-with-extended-y-underlines-Human-Head-with-Bible-on-multi-colored-Brain-Lobes-all-atop-Domain-Name-277x300.png00Bible Memoryhttp://biblememory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMAGE-LOGO-BMO-PNG-3701x4004-IMPROVED-with-extended-y-underlines-Human-Head-with-Bible-on-multi-colored-Brain-Lobes-all-atop-Domain-Name-277x300.pngBible Memory2020-03-22 16:20:252022-03-13 19:39:03An Ode to the Lord Jesus Christ
As a recap and summary of what BibleMemory.ORG is all about…
For years and years I have felt a strong desire to give a gift back to the Lord for Who He is and what He means to me and all He’s done, something above and beyond the norm, as important as those daily gifts of obedience and worship and fellowship and meditation are. Something in addition to those. A grand, overarching love gift and thank-You gift back to Him. And as noted on the About page and repeated in this blog’s very first post, one day IT HIT ME. Like a bolt of lightning from a stormy sky, it hit me EXACTLY what I could do. Indeed, what I MUST do. And that is, for the first time in known human history, to MEMORIZE the ENTIRE BIBLE and then recite His OWN WORD AND WORDS BACK TO HIM! [I am of course referring to non-deitic human history, since the Lord Jesus Himself not only KNEW the entire Bible by heart, not only KNEW the Word, but WAS the Word, was the very personification of the Bible. Whenever I use the term “human history” it excludes the Lord Jesus since He is in a class of His own, a class of one, since no other human before or after can even come close to comparing to Him even just on a human level, even just in his humanity.]
That’s quite the gift, to be sure. It will – and indeed already has begun to – require a full-time, day-in-and-day-out, multi-year commitment but (a) is still not even one-infinitieth of what He truly DESERVES but (b) is the closest to that I could think of, the best I can do, so I decided right then and there to dedicate the rest of my life to this and the ministries which I’m sure will flow forth from this historic endeavor, this history-making undertaking.
Even apart from the spiritual/religious aspect involving the Bible, just from a human, intellectual standpoint I already know that there’ll be a huge amount of media interest in this and that their presence will be extensive on the day or more likely week that I actually and literally RECITE the ENTIRE BIBLE back to Him [Lord-willing… and I’m sure He is! How could He NOT be? Like I mention on thehomepage, just think about how pleased, how flattered YOU would be if you gave a heartfelt love letter to the person you were dating and then on your next date that person RECITED IT BACK TO YOU BY HEART, FROM MEMORY! (Okay, some people might be frightened by that but you get the point. I.e., because most of us wouldn’t write a love letter in the first place if we had just started dating, if we didn’t already have a good idea of their character and suitability, I would definitely be flattered and view that as a huge positive/plus!)]. I mean, for any mere mortal (let alone such a flawed one as I) to be able to memorize much less recite at one time anything so voluminous as the ENTIRE BIBLE would have to attract a ton of attention – religious, media, academic/intellectual, and otherwise.
So what I currently envision is making a whole week (month?) of it (since the Bible could never be recited in just one day) and use that event to focus the world’s attention on the Bible – its literal, functional, actual power, regardless of the vessel – and our precious Savior. I am highly confident that such will be sustained far beyond that event/week/month via the resultant ministries (discussed here) but even if it weren’t, just being used to direct the world’s focus on the Lord of the Word and the Word of the Lord even for a minute would single-handedly make my entire life very worthwhile.
Of course, none of this will happen if the Lord doesn’t lead enough like-minded Bible-loving believers to serve as His hand and fingers by getting behind this and supporting it in whatever ways they’re able as listed in the Side Panel at the top-right of this page. Because if I can’t devote FULL-TIME to finishing that ginormous task (there’s a reason it’ll be the first time in human history) it wouldn’t happen. (I could probably finish the whole New Testament on a part-time basis but He deserves so I am dead-set on ALL of His Word, BOTH halves, so I need to start doing so full-time.) And that’s also why it’s so important that Lord-led believers also spread the word and “share” this and the other posts with everyone they know, by word-of-mouth and/or on their social media platforms, to “follow” this blog and subscribe to the Bible Memory YouTube Channel, and to sponsor this whole thing via the Donate button above or below and to check that little box on the PayPal page and become a Monthly Partner in this endeavor, even if just for ten bucks a month (just 33 cents a day).
I already KNOW that the Bible is so powerful that being ingested (memorized) even by just one person – no matter how flawed – will absolutely shake the world to its core and produce some downright amazing, jaw-dropping things and I can hardly wait to see exactly what He has in store but it’s exciting beyond description even in foresight… methinks the world is about to get a real eye-opener, and I can’t thank you enough for being a big part of that!
So that’s the vision in a few paragraphs. There’s so much more to say and share but I’ll do so via future posts. For now, I just want to end this one by testifying to the fact that the Bible has not only saved me – in every way a person could possibly be saved: spiritual, physical, emotional, relational – but has put me squarely on the proverbial “cloud nine” each and every day. Just under the umbrella of the Holy Trinity, the Bible has become my all-in-all in this life, because it’s the bridge that joins me to the Holy Trinity. Day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute. One of the taglines or mottos of this Blog is “HAPPINESS GUARANTEED.” Because, to borrow a phrase from Ephesians 3:20, I’m exceeding abundantly beyond certain that anyone who regularly ”follows” this blog and these posts – who “reads ’em and heeds ’em” – will absolutely see a tangible and wonderful and constant increase in their sense of happiness and joy and peace and love in their day-to-day life. And believe me when I say that such won’t be because of me but in spite of me. Not because of me but wholly, fully, and solely because of the BIBLE. Its power. Its work. Its utter endurance (1 Peter 1:23,25; Psalm 19:9; Matthew 5:18; John 10:35). Its “tried and true” nature (Proverbs 30:5). Its tangible effect on anyone it indwells – and the stronger the indwelling (Colossians 3:16), the stronger the effect and effects.
Which brings me to my final point. There’s no question that to MAXIMIZE those effects and benefits and rewards, a person will need to INGEST the Bible, to MEMORIZE it themselves, to literally place it INSIDE themselves – their mind and therefore body and life. But the Bible is SO powerful that just as in nature a virus spreads from person to person, so also the effect and effects of the Bible can be realized just by PROXIMITY. Not to the same EXTENT as if ingested by that person, but for those who don’t think they have the time or inclination (yet!) to memorize the Bible on a regular, systematic basis themselves, I’m thrilled to tell you that just being close (via regular exposure to these posts) to someone who DOES will still have a major effect and benefit in your life. It’s my honor to have you here and to SHOW you what I mean as the coming months and years unfold. .
Just as giving you the backstory on how this whole thing came about was appropriate for the subject matter of the very first post, it seems equally fitting that the second post should share the ins and outs of this blog, of all future posts, so without further ado…
You might notice that I don’t intend to include dates on these posts. There might be exceptions, like if a post is time-sensitive (e.g., commenting and/or giving a biblical perspective on a breaking news event, etc.), but this will be the general rule of thumb. Why? Two reasons.
First, because as you’ll see more and more as this journey progresses, the Bible is absolutely and utterly TIMELESS. Like the precious Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Hebrews 13:8), His inextricable Word, the Bible, NEVER CHANGES. Proverbs 30:5 makes clear that “EVERY word of God is TESTED”, or literally, is “tried” – tried and found totally blameless and flawless and without fault or error. It’s perfect because it’s from the perfect God. It’s a flawless book because its Author is flawless (the Holy Spirit). It’s the only truly perfect tangible thing in the universe because of how infinitely-closely-tied – indeed, inextricable – it is to the perfect Lord Jesus Christ, “who committed NO SIN” (1 Peter 2:22), “who knew NO SIN” (2 Corinthians 5:21[much more on this in a future post, one of the most life-changing for me personally, and I GUARANTEE it’ll be the same for you so please stay tuned for that. Very timely note: if you’d like to automatically be notified when future posts are published, simply click on the grey“Follow Bible Memory” buttonin item “3.” in the side panel to the right or at the very bottom of this page!It’s totally FREEand you can cancel anytime but I’ll go out on a limb and predict that you never will, that these Bible-centered and very practical and sometimes even personal posts will bring such benefit and reward and ongoing joy into your life that the thought of canceling will never even enter your mind but in case I’m wrong about this (UNLIKE the Bible, I myself AM flawed) it’s good you at least have that option! As I often say,HAPPINESS GUARANTEED!]). In fact, not only does the Bible, the Word of God, never change (speaking of its meaning and work and effect, not about the seemingly-endless stream of interpretative “versions” which keep popping up) but God will actually curse anyone who would even TRY to! (Proverbs 30:6 but especially Revelation 22:18-19 … GULP! YIKES!) It reminds me of and indeed epitomizes the adage “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” But in this case, “Since it’s perfect, don’t even try!”
[Another aspect of this blog: as just demonstrated, green print will be used to indicate that it’s an aside, a side thought; this will often though not exclusively be used to further explain a certain word or phrase in a Bible verse so as to make clear that it’s explanatory commentary and not the literal translation.]
But the second and main reason these posts generally won’t be dated is this: while the Bible, the Word of God, never changes, my insights into such DO since the Lord and the Holy Spirit and the Bible itself (all working together) are constantly refining my thoughts and thinking and perspective on various and sundry matters, always performing its “growing” work (1 Peter 2:2 – “Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word [i.e., the Bible, God’s Word], that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” … much more on this, too, in a future post), so I will reflect that in these posts, i.e., as the Lord and Word bring other verses or additional light on the subject matter to my own mind, in my view it would be downright criminal NOT to share those with you and future readers by adding them to that post.
Also, while my life and by extension this website and blog posts will remain focused on the Person and work and ongoing ministries of the Lord Jesus Christ and under that umbrella on His Word, the Bible, He in His loving sovereignty has brought about (in spite of myself) quite a life story, and has taught me so many aspects of His nature and Word through those life lessons and experiences and journey that I can tell upfront right now that it would be absolutely impossible for me NOT to also share those with you, and I look greatly forward to that, not only because I have a very strong hunch that they will be a big blessing to you as you hear about those and especially all the ways God has used them in my life and I’m sure will in YOUR life as well, but also because it will give Him the opportunity, the wide open door to multiply said usefulness and to further give me the opportunity to fulfill 1 Peter 2:9 and “proclaim the excellencies of Him”! Win/win/win. Sounds good to me!
The Lord has graciously given me a number of strengths and talents and skills but I can assure you that anything “mechanical” isn’t one of them! To put it mildly. (Those who’ve known me for a while especially in my childhood would probably say that this statement should earn me an Oscar nomination for biggest understatement in a lead role.) But an amazing thing has happened on the way to memorizing entire books of the Bible: it has, in a hard-if-not-impossible-to-fully-describe-or-explain kind of way, “activated” to a whole other level the all-sufficient, utterly-comprehensive teaching ministry of/by the Holy Spirit as clearly set forth in 1 John 2:27 – “And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have NO NEED for ANYONE to teach you; but as His anointing (i.e., the Holy Spirit) teaches YOU about ALL THINGS, and is true…” I love that phrase “no need”. While I can testify first-hand that there is massive benefit from exposing one’s life and mind to the “accurately-divided” (2 Timothy 2:15) Bible-based teaching and preaching of those whom He has given said gift (Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:28), this verse clearly teaches the importance of being DEPENDENT only and ultimately on the Holy Spirit for this. (After all, who better to teach us a book than its author! Makes sense.) I also love that phrase “all things”. And that’s the main point of this paragraph, because I find that His teaching and guiding isn’t limited only to the Bible (I can also testify to this first-hand, because He leads and guides me regularly about matters that aren’t specifically addressed in the Bible, several of which are of a modern-day nature which the Bible absolutely addresses and covers in general but sometimes not in specific like whether or which kind of car to drive, whether or where to go for a vacation, things like that. But thankfully, the Holy Spirit’s teaching and leading truly does cover “all things” just like that verse says. And for a very recent and pertinent example, like I said, I’m perhaps the LEAST “mechanically-inclined” person on the planet. Sports? Almost all of them. Musical instruments? A few. But mechanical things like trying to fix a car or, say, Build a website? Never! At least never before. Because the programmer who was supposed to build this one had some sort of personal/family emergency arise partway through and couldn’t finish and I couldn’t find another programmer willing to finish what a different programmer had started (fully understandable) so would you believe that I asked the Lord and specifically the Holy Spirit to help, to teach me how to do so – I who have been singularly non-mechanical since birth – and indeed I cited that very verse to Him and would you believe that what you’re seeing with your own eyes as you read this and visit this website is the result? (You’re probably thinking, “Yeah, I actually DO believe that this website was built by someone not mechanically skilled!” but trust me, it was a minor miracle for Him to do that given just how non-mechanical I’ve always been.)
As noted in the “Proof of Authenticity” section on the home page (which you can always get back to with a single click on the BibleMemory.ORG logo at the very top-left of all pages, to the left of the long red bar of different functions/sections of this website), one of the most important things about the decision to launch this whole project/ministries-to-be/website was to demonstrate that it is indeed 100% authentic, not just someone talking about memorizing the entire Bible but actually well on the way (3 of 66, 1/22 of the way there, almost 5% already… and I’m just getting started!) so that’s when I had the idea to demonstrate such by making videos of my reciting those first three books of the Bible from memory. And the only way I could think of to do so WITHOUT any chance of “cheating” was to go down to my local Walmart and buy one of those sleeping blindfolds. First, please know that recording myself has always been and shall undoubtedly forevermore be one of my LEAST favorite activities in life. Second, please know that recording myself while wearing a sleeping blindfold is THE least favorite activity and looks so strange to me BUT a very small price to pay for the perennially important purpose of leaving no doubt whatsoever as to my sincerity about this (not-so-)little project and the progress made so far (without which I never would’ve spent the large amount of time and expense to record those, build this website, etc.). So I’m going to publish those videos as a blog post after the first few foundational ones but in the future will post them here as I finish memorizing and truly knowing them “by heart” (i.e., in chronological order) but will post them at the very bottom of the home page in their biblical order so it’ll be much easier to find a specific book and to track my overall progress as I seek to become the first personin known human history toMEMORIZEtheENTIRE BIBLE – all 66 books – and then recite His own words back to Him as a (very unique and massive-but-still-not-nearly-enough) love/thank-You gift to the Lord for all He does and Who He is! Somebody should’ve done this by now, a long time ago, 2,000 years is way too long but I think the Lord Himself will agree, better late than never! And this gift will not just be from me but from and on behalf of every person who supports this in whatever ways they’re comfortably able!
Lastly (I hope that sound I just heard wasn’t a bunch of people cheering) (all kidding aside, future posts will usually be fairly brief… these first few, not so much since they’re of a foundational nature) and as you’ve probably already noticed, I intend to put specific Bible references in bold print, for the same reason just noted, to keep the Bible front and center on this website and blog and burgeoning ministry as it is in my own mind and life. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that doing so will never bring about failure but failing to do so will. Besides, apart from the Lord and His indescribably powerful yet precious Word, I am NOTHING; and the more and more I grow in love with Him via the Bible, the more and more I “grow in HATE” for my self/flesh, that part of me which is anti-God and anti-everything-good but which will continue to envelop each and every one of us for the rest of our natural life. More on this, too, in a future post… another major life-changer I can hardly wait to share with you.
Looks like I have a lot of writing/sharing ahead so stay tuned! .
http://biblememory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMAGE-LOGO-BMO-PNG-3701x4004-IMPROVED-with-extended-y-underlines-Human-Head-with-Bible-on-multi-colored-Brain-Lobes-all-atop-Domain-Name-277x300.png00Bible Memoryhttp://biblememory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMAGE-LOGO-BMO-PNG-3701x4004-IMPROVED-with-extended-y-underlines-Human-Head-with-Bible-on-multi-colored-Brain-Lobes-all-atop-Domain-Name-277x300.pngBible Memory2020-03-22 15:44:262022-03-12 14:58:06About This Blog
It is such an honor to publish the very first post of the BibleMemory.ORG blog!
First and foremostly, I want to thank the Lord for His immense goodness and grace in making this a reality. And His patience with me on a daily (if not HOURLY!) basis. And for His providing the funding to build this website and obtain the most PERFECT domain name for a ministry (.org) focused on Bible Memory (BibleMemory) – put those two together and here we are. Amazing. I STILL can hardly believe that it was available for my use, but as I’ve seen my entire life and entire adult life in particular, when God is truly in something, it will never lack his support and provision. Even down to a website address. Incredible.
Speaking of His provision, I decided to leave my job in order to focus FULL-TIME on memorizing the ENTIRE BIBLE since that’ll take several years and I’d much rather accomplish that BEFORE I die. Kidding aside, thankfully when I was working I was able to allocate enough in my life savings to fund this website out of my own pocket as well as enough to last another few months for it to get off the ground but again, when He is truly involved in any venture HE WILL lead other believers to also get behind it, and based on the enthusiastic reaction from the comparatively few people I’ve told about this in recent months, I already know that He will lead many like-minded Bible-loving believers to do just that and to be the fuel which powers this historic project and the ministries which flow forth from it. (We’re about to find out!)
That will obviously be crucial (if I ever stop publishing posts or videos you’ll know why!) but EVEN FAR MORE so is the dire need for your PRAYERS and those of as many people you can tell about this as possible. I am absolutely DESPERATE for the intercession of my brothers and sisters in Christ on behalf of this project and burgeoning ministry and by extension for me personally. That I will remain faithful to “keep on keeping on” in this call to memorize the ENTIRE BIBLE which He has placed in my heart. And further to OBEY and APPLY in my daily life that which I memorize. And to remain humble. And submitted and committed to His will in general and in this matter in specific. And that He would indeed lead all who visit this website to “spread the Word by spreading the word” and tell their friends, family and followers on their social media platforms as well as word-of-mouth, as well as the other ways to help out as indicated in the Side Panel near the top of each page. And that He would use this project and website and resultant ministries not only to bring immense blessing to the lives of others – starting with YOU! – but also massive CHANGE, that this would literally have a LIFE-CHANGING effect on all who visit, marked by a tangible and indeed dramatic increase in their current level of love, joy, peace, and ALL the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). And then for them to have the same effect on their loved ones and strangers alike. And that He will richly reward – not only in the life to come but also in THIS life (1 Timothy 4:8) – every single person who supports this in any way they can, to repay them TENFOLD (or more) and in amazing, jaw-dropping ways.
If enough like-minded Bible-loving believers do just that, I am absolutely, 100% CERTAIN that the day will indeed come when I will recite the ENTIRE BIBLE from memory, from heart – and please know that it will be a love gift and thank-You gift to the Lord not only from me but from and on behalf of every person who makes that a reality by their thoughtful support. What day that will be. In my view it’ll be the second-most “day of rejoicing” in all of history, that a group of Bible-loving believers would MAKE HISTORY TOGETHER in this very unique and never-done-before and most-pleasing way. May He be greatly and ongoingly glorified in, through, and by all of this.
Lastly, it seems the best way to end this very first post would be to tell you the backstory of how BibleMemory.ORG came about, so without further ado, here it is, which I’ve also given a permanent place on this website’s About page.
About
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Welcome to BibleMemory.ORG! I’m DJ Bible and I’ll be your host. I’ve been memorizing Bible verses my entire life, starting with “BMA” (the long-defunct Bible Memory Association) at age 2 or 3 or 4 then in Sunday School and “AWANA” as a child and teenager. And ever since. It has become like both oxygen and blueberries to me: I need it and want it. It not only sustains me but also produces enormous tangible benefits in my day-to-day life – spiritual, emotional, relational, and even physical (Proverbs 4:20-23; verse 22 highlights the physical aspect/benefits) – totally life-transforming and amazing and I can hardly wait to demonstrate all of this for you, it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE, guaranteed. Directly, or by osmosis (i.e., the blessing and blessings borne by reading and/or listening to anyone whose brain is brimming with the Bible).
I’ll delve into all of that in great depth in future posts but for now it will suffice to say that I started out memorizing various Bible verses in a “sporadic” manner based on the curriculum of those various programs but now I do so on a regular, systematic basis, i.e., verse-by-verse, book-by-book – and what a difference that has made! (“All the difference in the world” as my mom always said while I was growing up.) It has taken my life to a whole new level. In every way, in every area.
I’ll discuss the specifics of how that all came about in a moment but at some point the thought hit me to actually “spin out” VIDEOS first of my reciting entire books of the Bible from memory and then detailing the specific memory method which the Bible itself is making known to me (the “enlightening the eyes” of Psalm 19:8 in action!) and ever since, everyone started calling me DJ Bible and the nickname stuck and I can’t think of one that I’d rather have or which would be more near-and-dear to my heart so that’s the backstory. Almost everyone who hears my life story has told me to write a book about it; while my favorite subject in life used to be myself, the Bible – and especially memorizing it – did a 180 in my mind, in my life, such that now I’m literally the last thing I like to talk about and instead prefer to speak of the Bible and the Lord Jesus first, last, and everywhere in between. So I don’t have any plans to write a book about my life – as interesting and unique as it has certainly been – but I did register the internet domain name DJBible.org for a personal website should the Lord ever lead me to do so but for now will just direct it to this website, BibleMemory.ORG. I wish there were far more ways I could rightly compare myself to the beloved and beyond-amazing Apostle Paul, but other than viewing myself as “the biggest sinner”, one of the few other ways I feel like I’m on his same level is found in 1 Corinthians 9:16 – as was the case with Paul and preaching the Gospel/Bible, so also I can honestly say “Woe is me if I do NOT memorize the Bible.” Per one of the taglines, this is my ministry, my passion, and indeed my very life. And I couldn’t be any more thrilled about that!
Speaking of websites, and as promised a few minutes ago, here’s how BibleMemory.ORG came about:
For years I tried to think of something I could do to please the Lord in a very unique, above-and-beyond, historic way, so as to adequately express my love and gratitude for Him – for all He’s done, for all He does, and just for who He is!
And not too long ago, He came calling and a light bulb went on in my head and heart. I got it! I got it! I thought of something I just KNOW He’ll absolutely LOVE! To memorize the ENTIRE BIBLE, every word which He has written to us, then to QUOTE HIS OWN WORDS BACK TO HIM!
I immediately realized how zonked even a sinner like me would be if I were to write a long love letter to a woman I was dating at the time and then at a future point she responded by quoting that letter back to me word-for-word! I’m just a dirty rotten sinner saved by grace, He’s the God of all creation and power and purity and perfection so how much more would this mean to HIM?! I think a lot. Lots and lots. Oodles times a trillion.
The conversation (which occurred entirely in my soul, not ears, not audibly you’ll be glad to know 🙂 ) which immediately followed on that occasion, when this thought first hit my head and heart, went something like this:
Me: “But, Lord, I’m the LEAST likely and logical and capable person to pull off such a historic task, which nobody else in known human history has been able to do and I don’t have an overly great mind to begin with, I’m no genius, so how on earth can this be?”
God (again, not audibly but in my spirit – exactly as referenced in Proverbs 20:27): “Fear not, just start doing it, just memorize the first few verses of the first selected book and I through My Word will take care of the rest and make it happen.”
Me: “But, Lord, I’m still just a human vessel and a very flawed one at that, even if You make it happen it would take years and I’ve got bills to pay so have to spend most of my time working my job as You know. I’m really, really sorry but I just don’t have nearly enough time to accomplish that!”
God: “Fear not, I have already prepared many like-minded Bible-loving believers who will support this so you can dedicate your life FULL-TIME to it and thus this shall be a gift to Me not just from thee but from them, from every person who will indeed heed My lead and meet that need.”
Me: “Huh? You think enough people will actually donate to the cause of Bible memory? You’re omniscient so I know You know that most people cringe at even the thought of trying to memorize anything much less the Bible much less the ENTIRE Bible. Political candidates? Sure, people donate literally millions of dollars to them in just a FEW HOURS, that has become commonplace any more, but donating to the cause of Bible memory, how can this be?”
God: “It is. Because I AM.”
Me: “Okay, Lord, I’ll do it, I’ll dedicate my life and devote FULL-TIME to fulfilling this calling, but YOU are going to have to do it because I can’t, I’m not even a thousandth smart enough to memorize an entire BOOK of the Bible much less all SIXTY-SIX of them. And I’ll dedicate my entire life savings to getting started but YOU are going to have to cause enough Lord-led like-minded Bible-loving believers to even hear about this and then support it because my life savings alone would only last a number of months and I’m going to need several years even WITH Your holy help, due to the sheer volume of Your written utterances and my own utter inadequacy.”
God: “Good, My child. As I say multiple times in the Bible, ‘He who believes in Me will not, shall not be disappointed.’ [Slight pause] What are you waiting for? Get going! Get to it! Because after I accomplish this work, I’m going to use it in many ways, to bring forth many ministries out of it, so get going, My child!”
And so I did. (How could I not after that?!) I decided right then and there to leave my job and devote FULL-TIME to pursuing this calling, this history-making undertaking, and remarkably I wasn’t even nervous because I was and remain utterly certain that He’s totally in this, and then He proved that almost immediately. (He didn’t need to, but He did.)
How, you might ask? Well, I knew that I’d need to chronicle this in real-time, not just for present but also future purposes, so that meant I needed to build a website, the very first step of which is getting a good Domain Name/URL, a good website address. One which would be really easy to remember but also clearly and quickly and succinctly explain what the website is all about. All of the really good ones are almost always taken, as I’m sure you know. Even the ones which aren’t actually being used have been bought by someone hoping to sell it for a handsome profit.
And that’s when He made it absolutely, unmistakably, inescapably clear just how much He is in this and just how intimately and directly involved He has been from the very start.
Let’s put it this way: if one were starting a ministry focusing on Bible memory, what would be the good no great no perfect domain name? Yep. I was zonked (showing my lack of faith and how easy it is for such to creep in even just in human terms… Hebrews 12:1 demonstrated) when I checked the absolutely perfect domain for this: BibleMemory.org (of course!). I remember thinking, “No way would THAT domain be available, no way would it NOT already be taken like twenty years ago! Not even worth checking, don’t waste your time.” Wrong! Wrong! Because when the Lord is truly in something, miracles happen and needs are met, and as you now know if you’re reading this on the website, unbelievably, unthinkably, the website address BibleMemory.org was indeed available for my use, just waiting for me to follow the Lord’s amazing lead and provision and to put it to use in order to chronicle this historic project, what is sure to be an amazing journey. And after getting over my shock and amazement that THE PERFECT domain name was actually AVAILABLE for me to use, that’s exactly what I did and the rest, as they say, is history. Or more accurately in this case, history in the making. (Literally! In real-time!)
And just one additional thought about something I said above, about how the Lord intends to bring forth several ministries out of this historic undertaking, this first step of MEMORIZING the ENTIRE BIBLE! (Gulp! Humanly speaking, it hurts my head just thinking about the enormity of this task.)
I mention several on the home page but will highlight just one of them here.
Psalm 19:7-8 has long been one of my all-time favorite passages (and chapters) of Scripture (along with John 3, Colossians 3, and Matthew 5-7 among many others but these would have to top the list). It clearly states that the Bible “restores the soul”, “makes wise the simple”, “rejoices the heart”, and “enlightens the eyes”. (If I were in a poetic mood I’d say that it “restores, makes wise, and opens the eyes!”) And these are just two short verses of over 3,100! And as you might imagine, the Bible has a lot more to say about itself but even just these two are fully, infinitely sufficient to CHANGE ONE’S LIFE. Literally.
In fact, let’s just take one of them, verse 8. Even just since I heeded the Lord’s call and started this task of memorizing the ENTIRE Bible, I can tell you that an otherwise-inexplicable and unfading sense of joy has manifested itself in my daily life, even more than before. “Rejoices the heart” indeed!
But I want to hone in on the second half of that verse, that the Bible also “enlightens the eyes”. You see, when I first set out to memorize an entire book of the Bible, the New Testament book of James (because of how practical and easily-applied it is, so given to daily application, almost like a shorter version of the Old Testament book of Proverbs), well, to say that it was a daunting task would likely earn me an Oscar nomination for Biggest Understatement in a Supporting Role. I remember thinking to myself, “There’s no way!” But something funny, something amazing happened on the way to obeying that calling of the Lord to “just start doing it, just memorize the first few verses of the first selected book and I’ll take care of the rest” as described above. I did just that, I memorized the first verse, then the second, then the third, and much to my amazement with each verse and certainly with every few chapters, it got EASIER. And before I knew it, the very first entire chapter was in-the-bag, a done deal. I was so excited! How could this be? How could it be that the more I stuffed into my mind, the more I was then able to pour in? The more I ate, the hungrier I got!
As you know, this is totally opposite of everything we learned in science class when we were in school. But what our wonderful teachers didn’t take into account is that the Bible isn’t like a glass of water. That the human mind – especially when filled with the right thing – isn’t like the human stomach. And the combination of the two is more powerful than any and indeed ALL of the chemicals we combined in those countless science-class experiments.
How can this be? How can this be? I attribute it fully to that verse, Psalm 19:8, that the Bible does indeed “enlighten the eyes” when ingested. When consumed. When swallowed. It might look nice sitting on a table or desk or dresser or nightstand, but it only goes to work and “does its thing” when poured into one’s mind.
And man oh man, did that ever prove to be true in my case, in my firsthand experience. Because before I knew it, I was able to recite that entire book of James. And it wasn’t that hard, it wasn’t nearly so scary as I had thought when first starting out. And you know what? I kept going and started memorizing the book of Hebrews and guess what, those thirteen chapters were even EASIER than the five of James! And memorizing the entire book of 1 Peter was EVEN EASIER! It’s exponential. It’s amazing. It’s certainly a minor miracle if not technically a full-blown, official one. Just ask what was the mind of an A/B/C-student when I first began at James 1:1.
But there’s even more to this story. Because the more of the Bible I’ve memorized, the more and more a SPECIFIC memory METHOD is taking shape, is falling into place, piece by beautiful piece. And once completed, I intend to share it with you and with the world, to shout it from the mountaintops, and am absolutely certain that it will have the same effect on others as it has on me, that it will enable and empower virtually ANYONE to memorize and RETAIN massive amounts of the Bible and ANYTHING ELSE! I’d go on to describe the many, many, many tangible benefits of this but that would take hours so I’ll save that for future posts. Stay tuned. Your life is about to be revolutionized. (Like Georges Foreman and Zimmer say in those Meineke and Men’s Wearhouse TV ads, “I guarantee it!”) . .
If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
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Talk About a RIGGED System!
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryNo, that title doesn’t refer to the two-party political system or the stock market or the economy. I’m talking about something that’s SO rigged it’s jaw-dropping and indeed life-altering. Literally. It is undoubtedly GREATLY AFFECTING your life – and not for the better – at this very moment, as we speak.
Whenever I hear someone claiming that something is “rigged”, one word comes to mind: par-a-noi-a (bup bup bup-bup-bup), par-a-noi-a (bup bup bup-bup-bup, almost like a cheer). And that turns out to be the case virtually 100% of the time.
But there is an exception. A big one. Here’s what I mean.
The system to which the title refers, the system of which I speak, is the world system. And believe me, it is RIGGED. Big-time. Against YOU. Against me. Against the whole of humanity. But this culprit is not acting alone, it has some extremely strong and effective accomplices so let’s discuss those so you can keep them in mind throughout each day so as to enact a successful defense.
Culprit #1 is the devil – also called Satan and originally Lucifer – and all his minions, called demons. They just carry out the devil’s plans so we’ll just discuss him.
Make no mistake about it, he is the most formidable foe in the history of the universe. He was originally the second-most-powerful being in the universe, second only to God Himself. But that wasn’t enough for him. (Looks like human nature was around even before humans!) No, he felt the need to be number one, “numero uno”, the “big cheese” as described in Isaiah 14:13-14, which refers both to the king of Babylon (verse 4) and to Satan who empowered him: “But you [i.e., Satan] said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God … I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” And Ezekiel 28:13-17 does likewise – referring in part to the king of Tyre (verse 2) but verse 15 makes clear that it’s primarily about Satan – and adds even more color: “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering… and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you… you were the anointed cherub… You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you… and you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God… your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground.” It seems clear this is also what Jesus was referring to in Luke 10:18 when He said, “I was watching [speaking directly to the deity of Jesus, much like when He said “before Abraham was, I AM” in John 8:58] Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” The main phrase here for our purposes is “the anointed cherub” which signifies just how high and lofty and powerful a position he was given before foolishly frittering it all away because of his pride. And though his “reversal of fortune” was the second-greatest in history (I’ll discuss the first and third in a future post… see item “3.” at the very bottom or top-right of this page to automatically be notified of such), he retained (and retains, to this day) a level of power which is incomprehensible to mere mortal man.
In fact, to put just how much power he has into perspective, here’s one of the most surprising verses in the entire Bible: Jude 1:9 which says, “But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, DID NOT DARE pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’ ” Is that incredible or what?! THE MOST POWERFUL of the angels “DID NOT DARE” when it came to the devil.
But he not only has the ability to wreak havoc upon humanity but also the motivation. In John 8:44 , Jesus Himself confirms that the devil is a “murderer” by nature, “from the beginning”, and also calls him a perennial “liar, and father of lies” and that “there is NO TRUTH in him.” (How would you like to have THAT as an epitaph.)
And lest you think it’s nothing personal, that this uber-powerful enemy isn’t actively and continually aiming his formidable guns RIGHT AT YOU, the Bible saw that widespread sentiment coming from a mile away and in 1 Peter 5:8 says this: “Be on the alert [holy hypervigilance, as it were]. YOUR [whose?!] adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Ephesians 6:11 says that he is constantly “scheming” against us. That’s all he does, that’s the purpose of his very existence, to get as many people as possible to join him in hell for all eternity. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says that he “has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Doesn’t get any clearer than that! Talk about being unmasked and exposed. ALL the devil wants to do in life is to trip up believers as badly as possible and KEEP unbelievers unbelieving until it’s too late and thus have them spend all eternity with him and his minions in hell versus with God and all believers in heaven. (Um, I think I’ll opt for the latter, thank you very much.)
So culprit #1, the devil, has the means, motive, and opportunity.
Culprit #2 is the world, the world system itself. Unfortunately for those of us living in it, the first two culprits are very closely-linked. Hypocrisy and corruption have been around since the fall of man but have erupted to a whole new level in society in recent years. Isaiah 14:12 puts it like this: “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations.” The devil has corrupted entire governments and spiritually polluted entire nations. Just take a look at the world news on any given day and you’ll see what I mean, what this verse is talking about. People putting on one face “for the cameras” only to be exposed at some point as being the exact opposite of the perception they painted for others. But if anyone is surprised by such moments of unmasking, they must not have read 1 John 5:19. It’s a stunning verse, like getting a bucket of ice thrown on you as was the craze and all the rage (but for a very good purpose) in 2014-15. It confirms that “the WHOLE WORLD [i.e., system] lies in the power of the EVIL ONE.” Whoa! And 1 John 2:16 says, “For ALL that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is NOT from the Father but is from the world.” Double-whoa! And we just got done discussing what the devil’s intention and plan for mankind is so it’s wise indeed to “be on the alert” for the shenanigans he’s continually trying to pull and also the world system itself. More below on HOW to do this.
Culprit #3 is a lot more personal, hits much closer to home. Your flesh. My flesh. The flesh.
It’s challenging enough for most people, even most believers, to “withstand the wiles of the devil.” Then add to that all the lures of the world, of this world system, all the opportunities to stray it’s constantly throwing in our faces and in our way. But there’s also an “enemy within” – within our very selves. It’s called the flesh. Fallen flesh. Human nature. Corrupt, despicable, depraved. And just because a person is transformed by the saving work of Christ and the Holy Spirit and washed with the water of the Word, THAT FLESH DOESN’T GO AWAY. Nope. It’s with us ’til our dying day. We have to deal with it our ENTIRE LIVES! Even after our essence has been utterly transformed so as to be a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17), it remains ENVELOPED by the flesh until we go to heaven.
And while the devil and the world system certainly doesn’t make things easy, know who’s responsible for EVERY SINGLE TIME you or I have sinned? James 1:14 is another stunning and eye-opening verse, confirming that “EACH [and every] ONE is tempted when he is carried away by HIS OWN lust.” And verse 15 adds, “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”
I don’t think most have ever really come to terms with just what a beast is living inside them. But you know who did? The person who said this: “For I know that NOTHING GOOD dwells IN ME, that is, in MY FLESH; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.” Know who said that? Probably the greatest person ever to have walked the face of the earth other than the Lord Jesus Himself, and that’s the Apostle Paul.
IF THAT WAS TRUE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL (and we have the Holy Spirit’s confirmation that it indeed was), WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT YOU AND ME, about where WE stand? All I can say is… yikes! Double-yikes! TRIPLE-yikes!
But fear not, beloved, for I have GREAT NEWS! As uber-powerful as the devil and the world system and fallen flesh may be, they can be overcome, and quite EASILY as it turns out. Here’s HOW!
The first thing to realize is that in the overarching big picture, the devil – and by extension the world system and fallen flesh – has already been defeated, already been dealt a crushing blow. Literally. Romans 16:20 says that God “will soon crush Satan under your feet” and that said groundwork has already been fully laid by the completed (“It is FINISHED!” – John 19:30) work of Jesus Christ (a) when He died on the cross as a sacrificial lamb on OUR behalf, to pay the penalty for OUR sins, (b) when during His time in the tomb He wasn’t simply resting but rather “went and made proclamation” to the demons bound in the abyss awaiting the eternal fiery lake of hell, a proclamation of UTTER AND COMPLETE VICTORY and vanquishing and “a mighty triumph o’er his foes” as that great hymn says, and (c) when He rose again from the dead and fulfilled the prophecy of Hosea 13:14 as the front-runner of all future believers as described in 1 Corinthians 15:55 – “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (Interestingly, these three points align perfectly with 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, which is the “gospel” referenced in verse 1.)
In other words, the battle has already been won. By Christ Jesus, on our behalf. He is already victorious, therefore SO SHOULD WE BE in our daily lives. But how? Through faith: “For whatever is born of God OVERCOMES the world; and this is the VICTORY that has overcome the world – our FAITH.” (1 John 5:4)
Sounds great, but HOW do you and I actually APPROPRIATE faith, where does it come from?
Romans 10:17 couldn’t be ANY clearer: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the WORD OF GOD.” The message about Christ in specific as just discussed above and the Bible in general. THAT is what produces FAITH. Hearing, i.e., OBEYING the Bible, the Word of God. And while it’s certainly possible to do so simply by reading the Bible, it’s even easier to do so by studying the Bible – but the BEST and maximizing way is by MEMORIZING the Bible. And that’s one race you needn’t COMPLETE in order to WIN. I.e., you don’t have to memorize the WHOLE Bible to be a MASSIVE WINNER, you just need to go down that path, to memorize whatever amount on a REGULAR and preferably systematic (verse-by-verse, book-by-book) basis and trust me, the meditating and obeying WILL follow, because and as the Word itself “performs ITS work IN” you (1 Thessalonians 2:13). See what I mean? See the utter LACK, the utter ABSENCE of self-effort? Put the Bible in your HEAD/MIND (hence the logo at the top-left of this page and throughout this website) and the REST OF YOU (body, emotions, soul) will follow!
Not because of you or me, but in SPITE of us. Not because of you or me, but because of the BIBLE.
As I always say, salvation and sanctification, the Christian life, always comes down and back to the Bible. (1 Peter 1:23; Romans 10:17; John 17:17)
And the more you MEMORIZE it, the more capacity you’ll have to meditate on and obey it. 100,000% true, GUARANTEED.
So the key to appropriating in your everyday life the victory which has already been won by Christ’s completed work on Calvary’s cross is faith, which comes from the Bible. And most of all from memorizing and reciting the Bible. Let me show you an amazing passage of Scripture.
As I’ve said before, there are countless benefits of Bible memory, and I’ll delve more and more deeply into those in future posts (if you’d like to automatically be notified whenever a new post is published, simply click on the grey “Follow Bible Memory” button in item “3.” below or at the top-right of this page) but want to discuss one of those now.
One of my very favorite things about Bible memory is that it gives the Bible and the Holy Spirit FULL capacity to “go to work” in us. Fully. Maximally. As it “courses through” our entire being, our very essence – mind and therefore soul, emotions, and body. And one result of this “Bible absorption” is that when I’m reciting or meditating on one passage, the Word itself and the Holy Spirit – the REAL “dynamic duo” – will bring another verse of passage to mind so as to create the full meaning of what they’re conveying. It’s amazing how one verse – often in the same passage – can totally “light up” and “bring to life” another.
And one of my favorite examples of this – and extremely pertinent to this discussion – is found in 1 John 2.
I quoted verse 16 above (along with 5:19) to show the true nature of the world system. I dare say verse 15 is among the more familiar ones in all of Scripture, the admonition to “not love the world, nor the things in the world.” But I want to focus on what immediately precedes that. 1 John 2:13-14.
This is one of those cases that the two verses are in the same passage. Verse 13 says “I am writing to you, young men, because you have OVERCOME THE EVIL ONE.” (Told ya it was extremely pertinent! =)
Now look at what verse 14 says. “I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and THE WORD OF GOD [Bible!] ABIDES IN YOU, and you have OVERCOME THE EVIL ONE.”
Isn’t that amazing?! One verse says something, then another verse – either elsewhere in the Bible or in the same passage as here – builds upon it and totally brings it to life!
I’m sure you noticed the DIFFERENCE between those two otherwise-nearly-identical verses/phrasing. The first one mentions overcoming the evil one. Then the second one adds the adjective “strong” and the very enlightening phrase “the word of God ABIDES IN YOU“! Like I say, it ALWAYS comes back to the Bible in general and Bible MEMORY in specific! What a difference even a single phrase can make.
So HOW can you OVERCOME the rigged system which is pointing its guns directly at you each and every day? By believing that Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day just like He (and many Old Testament prophets superintended by the Holy Spirit) said He would. Then by appropriating that done-deal victory by reading or better yet studying or best of all MEMORIZING the Bible. And before you faint from pre-exhaustion at just the thought of that, rest assured that as I continue along that path of memorizing verse after verse and book after beautiful book, it is bringing into greater and greater focus a specific METHOD which is making it not just EASY (i.e., no fainting necessary) but FUN! Stay tuned to this blog and when that has fully come together or at least 95% finalized in my mind’s eye, I will share it here in a future post (or more likely, series of posts) but in the MEANTIME you can just read a verse (at least one or two a day is great for now) of the Bible over and over and over and over and ALOUD (you don’t have to shout or anything, just so your own ears can hear your mouth) and, like the hundreds and probably THOUSANDS of song lyrics you’ve memorized and could probably recite right now, you’ll be walking along the glorious and unparalleled path of Bible memory on a regular, systematic basis before you know it! And will start to SEE the countless benefits mentioned in this and the previous post. This will absolutely revolutionize your life, I GUARANTEE IT!
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If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
3. Add your name to my Prayer List!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
5. Share this post on your social media by clicking on one or more of these platforms:
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An Ode to the Bible, a Call to Bible Memory, and the Best Healthcare Plan EVER!
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryJesus. Christ. Jesus Christ. The Lord. Jesus Christ the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ. The hymnist was right: there’s just something about that name!
But lest you think this is merely a continuation of the previous post, let me assure you that, well, it kinda is.
Because it’s impossible to separate the Word from the Lord or the Lord from the Word. It’s impossible to separate the Word of the Lord and the Lord of the Word. Can’t be done. So while this post is an ode to the Bible, by definition it will largely and at least indirectly be another ode to the Lord Himself. Here’s what I mean.
Have you ever realized just how closely, no, how inextricably linked the Bible is to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself?
It would probably be heretical to go so far as to say that the Bible is an actual physical, tangible “manifestation” of Christ Himself – but it IS very, very, very CLOSE to being just that! Don’t believe me? Check this out…
The Bible COULDN’T BE MORE CLEAR that:
But wait, there’s more!
It’s true that the first Chapter of the Gospel of John is abundantly clear on this subject. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. … And the Word BECAME FLESH, and dwelt AMONG US [humans, mankind], and we beheld His glory, glory as of the ONLY BEGOTTEN from the Father, full of grace and truth. JOHN [the Baptist] BORE WITNESS of Him…” (John 1:1,3,14-15a)
When that passage starts out, I suppose one could ascribe that to the Holy Spirit, too – though when combined with Colossians 1:16 I don’t think there’s any question of Whom it’s speaking, virtually verbatim. But after the first few verses, certainly by verse 14 the Bible leaves NO doubt or wiggle room: it’s absolutely referring to Jesus Christ (“became flesh”, something neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit have ever done). And it calls Him “the Word”.
I’d say that’s a pretty strong connection and link with the Bible, right? But years ago I came across a little-known verse that does so to an even greater, more explicit extent. Wanna know just HOW inextricably linked the Lord Jesus Christ is to the Bible? I give you Revelation 19:13.
The end of verse 10 makes it crystal clear (or should I say, crystal-sea clear =) that it’s speaking about Jesus: “… the testimony of JESUS; worship God. For the testimony of JESUS is the spirit of prophecy.” And verses 11-12 describe His horse and appearance and activities and nature and then verse 13 says it all: “… and His name is called THE WORD OF GOD.” Hmm, so is the BIBLE!
Ergo, any ode to the Bible will, by extension if not definition, in effect be an ode to the Lord Jesus Christ, too, so… BONUS!
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A Call to Bible Memory
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And indeed, it is that very link to, that inextricable association with the Lord Jesus that gives the Bible its power. If it had emanated, if it had flown forth from ANYONE else but God, from ANY other person, it wouldn’t have such infinite power. But even then it would still contain a TON of great advice and wisdom – e.g., wouldn’t we gobble up (Jeremiah 15:16; Job 23:12) and heed every word of ANY AND ALL of Paul’s writings, even the non-canonical ones which weren’t Spirit-breathed? Of course. Why? Because the more exposure one can have to someone who is so wise and spiritually mature and such a great imitator of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) and so utterly exhibits the fruit of the Spirit, the BETTER! In fact, while I am not and shall NEVER (in this life, on this side of heaven) be even a MILLIONTH of the person the Apostle Paul was, what I have found is that simply storing large amounts, ENTIRE BOOKS of the Bible INSIDE OF ME (Bible memory) and then meditating on those (a-u-t-o-m-a-t-i-c – more on that in a future post) and obeying those, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and being controlled by (filled with) the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-21) and the Word (Colossians 3:16-17 … hmm, those two lists of characteristics are virtually the SAME! More on this too in a future post… if you want to automatically be notified whenever a new post is published, simply click on the grey “Follow Bible Memory” button in item “3.” below or at the top-right of this page) have skyrocketed in my life. Yes, still a VERY long way to go, methinks I’ve just begun to scratch the surface, but the Bible ingested (memorized), the “rich indwelling” of the Bible in a person’s – any person’s – mind ergo soul/spirit and body is so powerful that it WILL affect and benefit other people even just by PROXIMITY. As I always say, there are no shortcuts per se – the ONLY way to MAXIMIZE the benefits of the Bible is to INGEST (memorize and recite and thus be most fully able to meditate on and obey) it – BUT my firm and strong assertion is that even just putting yourself in PROXIMITY to someone who HAS done that and IS doing that – like by regularly reading and even re-reading and heeding these posts, supporting this historic effort and resultant ministries in whatever ways you’re able, etc. – will still produce a lot of fruit and rewards in YOUR life. It has nothing to do with the vessel; it has EVERYTHING to do with the Bible.
And make no mistake about it: the Bible is unlike any other book in the universe. It and it alone is “living and abiding” (1 Peter 1:23); it is “living and active” and “sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit [what other book could ever do that?!], of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart [ditto].” (Hebrews 4:12) (just as a very timely aside, note that verse 13 immediate flows into speaking of the Lord Jesus… like I said, inextricably linked!); it is “inspired by God and PROFITABLE for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness [WOW!]; that the man of God may be adequate, EQUIPPED for EVERY GOOD work. [double-WOW!]” (2 Timothy 3:16-17); it is “perfect, RESTORING THE SOUL” [triple-WOW! What other book could even DREAM of being able to do THAT?!], it is “sure, MAKING WISE the simple” [ditto!], it is “right, REJOICING THE HEART” [Amen! I can definitely testify to that firsthand… and so will you! Just watch!], it is “pure, enlightening the eyes”, it is “clean, enduring forever”, it is “true” and “righteous altogether”, and it is “more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb”, and in heeding/obeying it “there is GREAT REWARD”! (Psalm 19:7-11); and I could go on forever (literally! quite literally!) but will finish (for now) by adding that when “hidden/treasured in [one’s] heart” he or she “may NOT SIN” (Psalm 119:11; cf, verse 9). I can honestly say that, because of just how sweet indeed the Bible is, like the Psalmist I “DELIGHT in” it and “shall not forget it” (Psalm 119:16,47), that my “delight is in” it and “in [it I] meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2), and like the Apostle Paul “I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man” (Romans 7:22). Amen.
One of the things I love most about the Bible is that all I have to do is INGEST (memorize) it! Because IT will do the rest: it will produce/grow faith in my life (Romans 10:17) and it WILL “perform its work in” me (1 Thessalonians 2:13). ZERO self-effort needed. ZERO “leaning on one’s own understanding” needed. THE BIBLE DOES IT ALL! Except for that initial ingesting. It won’t do that. This first step is wholly, fully, and solely up to YOU!
With such TANGIBLE and POWERFUL benefits and “GREAT REWARD” as those listed above, why would anyone NOT ingest as much of the Bible as possible? Two main reasons.
First, “I don’t have the time.” This one is very easy to dispel, because, come on, seriously, EVERYONE can set aside even just 15 minutes to memorize a verse or two a day, even if just the first or last 15 minutes of the day, right? Just wake up or go to bed a mere 15 minutes earlier and there’s your ample time. Easy-peasy. Anyone can do it.
Second, “I’m just no good at memorizing, I’m just not skilled at memorization, I just can’t memorize a whole lot.”
Hmm, that’s funny, because I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that you could recite the lyrics of HUNDREDS of songs right now. Am I right or am I really right? Did I just hit a home run or a grand slam? Of course you can memorize. Even CHILDREN can memorize and recite the lyrics of countless songs (hopefully not just those they see on TV), the pledge of allegiance, school plays, etc., right? Right.
So why on earth would EVERYONE not voraciously devour (Jeremiah 15:16; Job 23:12) something that is SO sweet and delicious and beneficial – not just in this life but also in the life to come, even extending to all eternity?
I’ll tell you exactly why. Because, as quoted from Psalm 19:8 above, it will “enlighten the eyes.” It will quite literally OPEN YOUR EYES. To a lot of things but probably first on that list chronologically-speaking, if you ingest (memorize and recite and meditate on and obey) the Bible, it will open your eyes to how righteous God is … and how righteous we aren’t. It will bring one’s sinfulness right to the fore. Front and center. Inescapable. Even for those most highly-skilled at denial and self-deception. Because, as also quoted above, from Hebrews 4:12, it truly is “sharper than any two-edged sword” and truly does “pierce as far as the division of soul and spirit” (think about that for a second, amazing) and truly does “judge/discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” You know, that “heart” which is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked/sick” (Jeremiah 17:9), or as Solomon would say (and did! – in Ecclesiastes 9:3), “The hearts of the sons of men are FULL of evil, and INSANITY is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.” (The first thought that hits me is that I don’t think I’d ever want to invite “Ecclesiastes” Solomon to a dinner party. Yikes! “Proverbs” Solomon? Absolutely. Every day of the week and twice on Sunday. But he clearly lost his way, lost his fastball as they say. He went from being at the peak to simply becoming very bleak.)
But hand-in-hand with that is the fact that 99.9% of people hate even the thought of giving up control of their mind. In any and every OTHER way this is a good and healthy hesitance. After all, Jesus Himself demonstrated this in John 2:24-25 – “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men (human nature), and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man for He Himself knew what was in man.” But when it comes to God and the Bible, one should desperately WANT to cede control – why? Because (a) God and the living Word are infinitely WISER than we are and KNOW us yet LOVE us infinitely more than we love ourselves and ALWAYS have OUR best interest in mind, and – even just from a purely human standpoint – (b) that’s the way to GAIN self-control, to GIVE it to God! Ephesians 5:18 says to “be controlled by (usually translated ‘filled with’) the [Holy] Spirit” and Galatians 5:23 makes clear that the result (fruit) is (drum roll, please) SELF-CONTROL. Is that amazing or what?! The vast majority of people yearn for a greater and greater sense of self-control in their lives, and rightly so, but they go about it the entirely wrong way: they seek to hoard it versus giving it to God, which is the ONLY path to a maximum and ever-increasing sense of self-control. When the object of ceding control is God via the Bible, control GIVEN turns into control GAINED! The world – and sadly even many professing Christians – have this TOTALLY BACKWARDS.
And THAT is why 99.9% of people won’t ingest the “miracle pill” that IS the Bible. Because it’s very uncomfortable to human nature in general to give up control, and deep down they know that the Bible is infinitely effective at revealing the truth not just about God but about ourselves. About yourself. About myself. So most people keep depriving themselves of infinite benefit because they don’t get past that very difficult first phase, they don’t get past the initial discomfort.
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Best. Healthcare. Plan. EVER!
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But everything above only dealt with the spiritual and emotional and relational and mental aspects of life, the intangibles. What if I told you that Bible memory also produces amazing tangible effects? What if I told you that it even produces phenomenal PHYSICAL HEALTH? Don’t believe me? My oh my, we do have much to discuss.
Let’s start with the far less important, far less weighty but not insignificant firsthand testimony/experience: I started memorizing Bible verses when I was young (BMA, AWANA, etc.) and into my teenage years and I almost NEVER got sick that entire time growing up. (Though I did ”fake sick” a lot so I could stay home from school and play video games, I have to admit that. =) And I kept right on going as I became a man and guess what, I haven’t had to go to the doctor’s or the hospital EVEN A SINGLE TIME in my ENTIRE ADULT LIFE. Not even once. Talk about a GREAT healthcare plan! The best! Fact: I have NEVER even THOUGHT about getting health insurance my ENTIRE ADULT LIFE. (The only time I did so was when the government passed a law that required it, and it was cheaper to go ahead and get the insurance than pay the fine for not doing so, widely known as the “individual mandate”). Every single day I feel like I’m going to live past 100 if I die at all! No joke. Not sure that’s what’ll actually happen (the 100+ part) but that’s absolutely how I feel all the time so I’ll take it! Humbly but gladly.
So there’s that, very strong firsthand experience. But like I said, that and a dollar will get ya a cup of coffee (at most fast-food restaurants anyway). I mean, my lifelong physical health could just be the result of good genes and not have anything to do with the Bible, right? WRONG! Here’s why.
The Bible is crystal-sea clear that “godliness actually is a means of GREAT GAIN” (1 Timothy 6:6). Yeah but, you might be thinking, yeah but couldn’t that just mean that it yields great gain in eternity, in heaven, in the life to come, regarding just spiritual things? And my reply is likewise yeah but what about 1 Timothy 4:8 which clearly doth state that “godliness is PROFITABLE for ALL things, since it holds promise for the PRESENT LIFE [what?! for the PRESENT LIFE] [okay, that’s what I thought] and also for the life to come.” So, yes, of course it produces tremendous benefit for the next life, for all eternity… but it DOESN’T STOP THERE, it ALSO produces tremendous benefit in THIS life, this present life, this earthly, human life in which we all find ourselves as we speak.
“Yeah but,” I can almost hear you thinking, “but that doesn’t specifically mean that PHYSICAL HEALTH will necessarily be included in those “present life” benefits and promise, right DJ Bible?” To which I have another “yeah but” of my own: yeah, but is not sickness and disease and indeed death itself – the extension and ultimate conclusion of those things – not produced by sin, are not those things the RESULT of sin? Of course, as stated perhaps most clearly in Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is DEATH” – and James 1:15 says, “when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” … doesn’t get any clearer than that! Although Romans 5:12 comes in with a solid tie, confirming that “just as through one man sin entered into the world, and DEATH THROUGH SIN, and so DEATH spread to all men, BECAUSE all SINNED.”
So if there were something that prevents sin, wouldn’t it also, by definition, prevent the results of sin, too? Like disease and sickness and illness?
Doesn’t even nature itself make this abundantly clear? If we destroy the root does the dandelion remain? If we destroy the root, can a plant or flower or tree remain alive? Clearly not. So if there were something, anything in the universe that actually prevents sin, would you not agree that it would also prevent disease and sickness?
I’m here to tell you that I have found such a thing. Take a wild guess what that is. Yep, the Bible. Psalm 119:11 – “Thy word I have treasured/hidden in my heart [mind, not the physical heart, with atria and ventricles] that I may NOT SIN” – is that amazing or what?! The Bible is the only tangible thing that can actually PREVENT SIN! And therefore the results of sin like illness and disease.
Prevention is very key here in my view. Because, while I personally believe it to be so, I can’t be dogmatic that memorizing the Bible will CURE a disease or illness already in a person (but see below why I think this is so, for the main verse which suggests if not asserts this, which connotes if not denotes such). I firmly believe it would and intend to initiate multiple clinical trials to PROVE that, but that’ll take some time, so in the meanwhile please do yourself and your children or nieces or nephews the biggest favor and start ingesting the Bible through Bible memory on a regular, systematic basis. It will change your life, GUARANTEED.
I think the point has already been made, even without using the sharpest tool in that particular shed. But I would and could not end this conversation without sharing this final verse with you about the Bible and physical health. Let’s call it the clincher. The skepticism-crusher. The cleanup hitter. You get the point.
If you’ve already watched the “Overview” video on the home page (and I strongly encourage you to do so) then you already know the answer but here it is again and for anyone who hasn’t: Proverbs 4:22 – “For they” [pointing back to the “my words” of verse 20, referring to His words and collectively His Word, the Bible] “For they are LIFE to those who find them…” That’s quite a statement, no? Indeed. But believe it or not, this verse doesn’t stop there but becomes even more explicit in the matter: “For they are LIFE to those who find them, and HEALTH to ALL their WHOLE BODY.” What a verse! What an amazing verse! What an amazing truth!
Let’s hone in even further on a few of these words and that’ll do it for this post.
“life” (Hebrew, hay-yim) – life but also carries the sense of active, reviving, flowing, fresh, green (like vegetation), sustenance, maintenance, appetite, and renewal … sounds good to me!
“find” (Hebrew, la-mo-sa-e-hem) – find, secure, ACQUIRE, attain to, get, meet, encounter, discover, detect, recognize, TO BE IN THE POSSESSION OF
“health” (Hebrew, mar-pe) – health, healing, PROFIT, soundness of MIND, CURE
“all the whole” (Hebrew, u-le-kal) – all, the whole, the whole of, each and every, totality, everything
“body” (Hebrew, be-sa-row) – the body, of the body, mankind, all living things, kindred, blood-relations
As I began this post, so I’ll end it: the Bible is like no other book. It was involved in the very creation of the universe, it never fails, never changes, never hedges, never wavers but DOES gladden, make WISE, and open the eyes! (Psalm 19:7-8) Or the acronym I like to use: Wise Intelligent/insightful Spiritual Happy … every parent’s – and every person’s – W.I.S.H.!
Unfortunately there’s nothing I can do to shield you from the fact that if you decide to heed my call, this blaring trumpet, for BIBLE MEMORY on a regular, systematic basis, it will reveal not only God but also your true nature to yourself. Inescapable. And wonderful. AFTER you get over the initial hump. Believe me, at the VERY beginning, the VERY FIRST step you take down this road, on this journey, it’ll be the MOST SPIRITUALLY-DIFFICULT thing you’ve ever done. And the most rewarding. Difficult in that the ingested Bible will absolutely and immediately go to work in your mind and reveal a lot of things about yourself to yourself – to your mind, your mind’s eye – that 99.9% of people would rather not see about themselves. But if YOU don’t stop there, NEITHER WILL IT! Because along with revealing those things to you, it will simultaneously start KNOCKING THEM OUT more thoroughly and consistently than a heavyweight boxing world champ could even dream. It will “perform its work IN you” just like 1 Thessalonians 2:13 says. (That’s not a promise so much as a STATEMENT OF FACT. Accomplishing its work is just WHAT IT DOES!) And will result in all the other benefits discussed above.
You might’ve noticed that I just said it would be the most spiritually-difficult thing you’ve ever done. That’s because it destroys the flesh and sin in your life (Psalm 119:9,11) and the LAST thing the flesh and sin want is to be eradicated and destroyed! They (the flesh and sin and the devil) want to stick around and control you (2 Timothy 2:26 speaks of unbelievers coming “to their senses and escape from the SNARE of the DEVIL, having been HELD CAPTIVE by him TO DO HIS WILL” … nuff said). Body, mind, and soul. That’s just what THEY do. (To the extent that one lets them, that one doesn’t put up the proper defense – Ephesians 6:10-18) and especially verse 17‘s “the SWORD of the Spirit, which is the word of God” and OUT OF WHICH all the other weapons of spiritual warfare flow, more on this in a future post.) So they will battle most vigorously to KEEP you from ingesting the Bible, that divine “medicine”. They’ll pull out all the stops. But they don’t stand a chance against the Bible. If you “abide” and KEEP going along the wonderful, unparalleled path of Bible memory. It’s nothing less than an all-out battle for your mind, for your soul, for your body, for your very life. The only question is which one you’re going to let WIN. It’s either “A” or “B” in this case, no in between. If one doesn’t choose the Bible as the winner then the flesh/sin/devil WILL be. It’s like my parents used to tell me as a child: either the Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible. Don’t believe me? Just look BACK on your life to this point, to this very minute. Which side have you allowed to win that war?
I encourage every parent to get their children (or nieces or nephews or neighborhood kids, etc.) to start memorizing the Bible as soon as possible. ASAP. In medical jargon, STAT! Because it’s every bit as critical as a patient who’s bleeding to death from a gunshot wound on a hospital operating table. And because it’s never too early to start memorizing the Bible on a regular, systematic basis but you know what? It’s never too late to start, either. And the prayer of my life is that you will heed this call and do yourself the biggest favor ever. Both in terms of this life and the one to come, eternity. And that you’ll then spread the word and encourage others (and if you have children, MAKE and even PAY them) to do likewise.
For years I’ve been pleading with the Lord to bring about revival in this nation and planet once again, as He has done from time to time in the past. And I believe He will do so for yet another time BUT that such will ONLY happen if and to the extent that you and I ingest and infuse ourselves, our minds, our bodies, our souls, our very beings with the Bible – the living and active and abiding and eternal Word of the living God – and then spread that to others. Hand the flesh and sin and the devil himself a crushing blow, a devastating uppercut, by getting into your mind the very thing – the ONLY thing – that can defeat them and end their hold on your life. That can and will overcome and vanquish any addiction known to man, no doubt about it. “Because greater is He who is IN you than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) and so is His Word, the Bible.
And while Bible memory on a regular, systematic basis AT FIRST will (not might) be the most spiritually-difficult thing you’ve ever done or will ever do, I am thrilled to tell you that as I have memorized entire books of the Bible, as I have gone through that process and progressed along that wonderful path, the Bible has been fulfilling its “enlightening the eyes” work (Psalm 19:8) in a very TANGIBLE way such that it is literally revealing to me and unfolding in my mind piece by piece a specific METHOD which believe it or not makes this not just EASY but a ton of FUN! And believe me, when I first started, when I took the first step on this path, it was ANYTHING BUT “fun”! It was downright daunting. But I believe the Lord and the Bible itself have shown me that, have revealed that method to me, not only so I can successfully complete His calling in my life to be the first person in known human history to memorize and recite the entire Bible but also and equally so I can share it with others so the only obstacle will be mustering the courage to have the truth about yourself, your inner person, revealed to you, everything after that first phase will be easy and fun and indescribably rewarding. As stated on the home page, I expect that method to be finalized, to come together in full or at least fully enough (95+%) in my own mind that I can then share it with others so stay tuned, it’ll change your life and those around you, just watch and see! I guarantee. Not only has it produced massive and constant joy in my day-to-day life but it has also turned my brain into the proverbial “sponge” – it literally soaks in everything and forgets nothing. Not even more minor things like meetings or schedules or to-do lists. This will be one of your favorite things about Bible memory, how it turns the human brain into a super-brain as it were, downright amazing, and impossible to fully describe with mere words but I think you get the gist. And this is just one of countless benefits!
The Lord Jesus Christ and our heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ are my first love. And that order is because but for the Lord, I could never have peace with God or be indwelt much less filled with the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:1; 8:9), it all starts and ends with Jesus. (Just like that list.) But without a doubt, my second love is the Bible. Third place is so far behind so as practically not to even exist. This post began with several ways in which the Bible is inextricably linked to and inseparable from the Lord, so it seems a very fitting end that just as He is the bridge between us and the Father and Holy Spirit, so also the Bible is the bridge between us and the Lord. It leads us and guides us to a saving knowledge of Him (2 Timothy 3:15). It is indeed “a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). It is indeed “better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces” (Psalm 119:72) and “more desirable than gold, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10) so how on earth could I come to any other conclusion than to affirm with a whole heart that “I SHALL NOT FORGET THY WORD” (Psalm 119:46).
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If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
3. Add your name to my Prayer List!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
5. Share this post on your social media by clicking on one or more of these platforms:
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An Ode to the Lord Jesus Christ
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryNow that the backstory, explanation, and vision for this blog have been noted (very fitting at the very beginning), I want this first non-foundational post to be an expression of my appreciation and love for the most amazing person in human history, who just so happens to be the second Person of the Holy Trinity. God Himself. One with the Father. Infinite co-worker with the Holy Spirit in helping us get through this life which is so perennially full of perilous and pernicious potential pitfalls.
I am of course speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Humility/submission/selflessness would have to be one of the qualities which goes against human nature most fiercely. (Along with patience.) Starting at the original fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. And ever since. So it’s not surprising that Philippians 2:5-11 is such a well-known and beloved passage of Scripture. But it actually starts with 2:1-2 in speaking of love and affection and compassion among believers and being of the same mind and united, not divided. ONE body, one mind. And then takes it a layer deeper in specifically talking about HOW such interpersonal, interrelational unity is accomplished – namely, by having EVERYONE eschew selfishness and “empty” conceit (what a perfectly descriptive word! so true! conceit is so UNfulfilling) and instead focus on the needs of others, not just our own, and introduces the world “humility” there in verse 3 so the more familiar verses 5-11 are really just elaborating and “fleshing out” (no pun intended… as in humility gets the FLESH OUT of the picture, out of one’s mind) that principle.
And surely the beloved and amazing Apostle Paul, the writer of Philippians, and absolutely, positively the Holy Spirit – the writer of Philippians (talk about a brain-twister… who wrote the book of Philippians, Paul or the Holy Spirit? Answer: YES!) – KNEW that there was no greater illustration of humility anywhere in the entire UNIVERSE than the Lord Jesus.
I don’t know about you but from time to time in my life it has been very easy and natural for a familiar passage in particular to go through my mind without my really THINKING about exactly what it’s saying, what it’s inferring, the details and color of the communicated facts. MEMORIZING Scripture certainly helps reduce that tremendously – but not totally, not completely (not in this life!) so it still happens from time to time, and this passage used to be no exception.
The point that Jesus is the very picture of humility is obvious. But have you ever stopped to really consider just what He did? And not for Himself, mind you, but for others, for us, for you and for me. Let’s take a minute to consider exactly WHAT He did and not just gloss over it like I did for years.
He was 100% God. Full deity. Omnipotent, infinite power. Omniscient, infinite knowledge. Omnipresent, not bound by time or external factors of any kind or in any way, shape, or form.
And what did He do? What did He do? He voluntarily gave up the willful use of His deity and took on all the limitations of humanity outside of sin, He wasn’t touched by that but DID go through everything else we do in this life as clearly stated in Hebrews 2:17-18 – “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in ALL things, that He might become a merciful [since He knows exactly what you and I are going through at any given time in our lives] and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For SINCE He HIMSELF was tempted [i.e., in His humanity; cf, Matthew 4; Hebrews 4:15 and James 1:13] in that which He has suffered, HE IS ABLE to come to the aid of those who are tempted. [i.e., of you and me!]” – and as set forth in 1 John 2:15-17 [which if you think about it, are the three areas to which ALL sins can be boiled down and correspond perfectly – and not coincidentally – to Matthew 4].
I’d say that’s giving up an awful lot! The pure pleasure and power of deity in exchange for all the rigors and challenges and functional limitations of humanity – oh yeah, and having to look forward to PHYSICAL DEATH? Who in the universe would ever agree to such a deal?! Would you??? I don’t think I ever would, sorry, I love you all and am happy to spend my entire life savings on this website/ministry but NO WAY would I make that trade! Deity for humanity? NO WAY! But Jesus did.
But it wasn’t just a matter of all the issues of human life and even physical death per se that he voluntarily took on, but the worst kind of physical death. Crucifixion. “Death on a cross” as verse 8 puts it (Philippians 2:8).
I have to admit that one of the specific events I’ve most thanked God for in my lifetime was Mel Gibson’s decision to fund the production of the movie The Passion of the Christ himself when the studios were unwilling, because I can’t think of another event along with the horrific and tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks which has put such a widespread focus on God, church, etc., and in the case of the former, far more specifically on the Person and work of Jesus. As an aside, I believe that both of these events were allowed and used by God for a very specific purpose: to “blare out” to the entire world the importance of settling one’s eternal destiny before it’s too late. The Bible is clear that most people are not going to Heaven. Matthew 7:13-14 says that “the gate is WIDE, and the way is BROAD that leads to destruction, and MANY are those who enter [i.e., the afterlife, eternity] by it” but that “the gate is SMALL, and the way is NARROW that leads to life [i.e., Heaven], and [comparatively, c.f., Revelation 7:9] FEW are those who find it.” So it’s very safe to assume that most of those who died in those towers or the Pentagon or on those airplanes on September 11, 2001, did not resolve of this most important matter in all of life, where one will spend all eternity. Do you think they had thought about that many times? Undoubtedly. The first line of Ecclesiastes 3:11 is very well-known: “He [God] has made everything appropriate in its time.” But its second line is less so, yet very pertinent: “He has also SET ETERNITY in their heart” – so, yeah, those people thought about it just like you and I have throughout our lives. And just as God used Noah to “blare out” the end of the ancient world (2 Peter 2:5) before at some point [when His patience stopped “waiting” – 1 Peter 3:20] shutting the ark’s door and those unbelievers OUT forever, so also I firmly believe that God is using certain events of a massive, world’s-attention-grabbing scale like 9/11 and that self-made movie about a crucifixion of all things which had “no chance” of succeeding doing just that, and succeeding so wildly that the world writ large couldn’t avoid focusing on and talking about it for many months, I believe He is using these events to “blare out” the end of the modern world. And one of the pressing motivations of my life is this question: how many people, just like in Noah’s days, will fail to resolve their eternal destination before it’s too late and thus get “shut out” of Heaven forever? In my view, nothing better captures the word “haunting” than that. I often think that if God just gave the world the slightest taste of Heaven while they’re still alive and on Earth virtually EVERYONE would give their life to Him and be saved. But I also think that just giving the world the slightest taste of Hell would probably be just as effective, given how human nature often responds even better to so-called “negative reinforcement” than the positive variety. It would quite literally scare Hell OUT OF people, scare people out of an eternity in Hell. Anyway, all of that was an aside, the long and scenic route of saying that while and for that reason the widespread release and success and discussion of that movie has been among the greatest items of thanks and praise to the Lord in my life, after hearing about how graphically His crucifixion was depicted therein I just couldn’t bring myself to see it, to sit through that, to actually go watch it, but I’m sure many of you were able to so you probably have an even better idea of exactly what Jesus voluntarily took on when He became a man.
But you know what really hits me about this passage, Philippians 2:5-11? It’s not so much what He went through as a man but rather as a fetus and baby! As a man, He knew exactly who He was, that He was “God in flesh appearing” as the world sings every Christmas season. As a man, Matthew 26:53 makes clear that He was utterly aware that He could ask and God the Father would “at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels [i.e., 72,000]“. So although it’s very true that He suffered a humanly-horrific death on the cross for us, on our behalf, He did so voluntarily and with a sense of control, knowing that He could’ve nipped that entire situation in the bud (to put it mildly… just read the last-in-the-New-Testament book of Revelation to see what just ONE angel is capable of, now think of 72 THOUSAND) if He had wanted to. But when He voluntarily became a BABY and before that a FETUS growing inside the virgin Mary’s womb after being conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18), in my view that’s a whole other level of humility. I think just about everyone will agree that giving up control is perhaps THE most difficult single action in all of human life. I dare say – and indeed it’s proven all the time – that most would rather die with control than to live without it. That’s essentially at the heart of mass shootings, isn’t it? These shooters feel a massive lack of control in life and rather than live without a sense of control they prefer to die (usually immediately) with one, borne of the warped attempt to put themselves in the role of God by deciding who lives and who dies, by deciding whom they shoot and whom they do not. So it’s safe to say that giving up control is perhaps THE MOST DIFFICULT thing in the human experience. Yet that’s exactly what Jesus did. I mean, talk about going from one (infinite) extreme to another! He went from being totally and utterly in control of everything, of the entire universe, to being totally and utterly DEPENDENT on Mary, on Joseph to feed and protect Him in His early years, and of course on His heavenly Father the entire way. Babies are the very picture of dependence. They have ZERO inherent control. None. Nada. Zilch! I can’t even imagine on this side of adulthood how hard it would be to be a fetus and baby once again (no thanks!), much less how much infinitely greater a sacrifice it was for Jesus to go not from being a human adult to a fetus/baby but from the voluntary use of His deity including omnipotence, INFINITE control, to a fetus/baby. I dare say He’s the ONLY one who would EVER make that trade, agree to that deal, and He did that not for Himself but for you and me, because He knew that if He didn’t we’d all be doomed to an eternity in Hell.
So I’m honored and thrilled to take the opportunity of this first non-foundational post to publicly thank and praise Him for His incomprehensible humility and self-sacrifice and love, all beautifully demonstrated just in that single act of becoming not just a man but a fetus and baby. Amazing love, how can it be? Indeed.
Since, unlike God, we ARE bound by time and schedules, I should probably end this post here and discuss His many other qualities in-depth in future posts, so I’ll end this one simply by saying that He is my best friend, the best I’ve ever had by far. He’s my Savior who freed me from an otherwise-certain eternity in the unquenchable fire and unending, unimaginable torture of Hell. He’s my strength and my power. He’s my continual example and motivation in life. He IS my life, my everything, my all, and I guess in an inverse way I understand the (warped, in their case) rationale and choice of those mass shooters because I would absolutely, positively, in-a-proverbial-heartbeat rather die with Christ than to live without Him. A-n-y d-a-y of the week and twice (literally!) on Sunday. I love Him with all of my heart, for all He does, yes, but even more for who He is and all that He means to me. Thank You, Lord, for always being there for me, for being such a great shield and comfort, for being such a great friend and constant companion, such a merciful high priest, for being my Lord but one whose burden is indeed so very light, for being my Lord but never “lording it over me”, for being utterly unashamed of me – even to call me BROTHER (Hebrews 2:11) and being willing to share Your indescribably massive inheritance with me (Romans 8:17; Colossians 1:12), for helping me resolve – or be content with – my weaknesses and simultaneously being the strength of my life.
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If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
3. Add your name to my Prayer List!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
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The Vision
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryAs a recap and summary of what BibleMemory.ORG is all about…
For years and years I have felt a strong desire to give a gift back to the Lord for Who He is and what He means to me and all He’s done, something above and beyond the norm, as important as those daily gifts of obedience and worship and fellowship and meditation are. Something in addition to those. A grand, overarching love gift and thank-You gift back to Him. And as noted on the About page and repeated in this blog’s very first post, one day IT HIT ME. Like a bolt of lightning from a stormy sky, it hit me EXACTLY what I could do. Indeed, what I MUST do. And that is, for the first time in known human history, to MEMORIZE the ENTIRE BIBLE and then recite His OWN WORD AND WORDS BACK TO HIM! [I am of course referring to non-deitic human history, since the Lord Jesus Himself not only KNEW the entire Bible by heart, not only KNEW the Word, but WAS the Word, was the very personification of the Bible. Whenever I use the term “human history” it excludes the Lord Jesus since He is in a class of His own, a class of one, since no other human before or after can even come close to comparing to Him even just on a human level, even just in his humanity.]
That’s quite the gift, to be sure. It will – and indeed already has begun to – require a full-time, day-in-and-day-out, multi-year commitment but (a) is still not even one-infinitieth of what He truly DESERVES but (b) is the closest to that I could think of, the best I can do, so I decided right then and there to dedicate the rest of my life to this and the ministries which I’m sure will flow forth from this historic endeavor, this history-making undertaking.
Even apart from the spiritual/religious aspect involving the Bible, just from a human, intellectual standpoint I already know that there’ll be a huge amount of media interest in this and that their presence will be extensive on the day or more likely week that I actually and literally RECITE the ENTIRE BIBLE back to Him [Lord-willing… and I’m sure He is! How could He NOT be? Like I mention on the home page, just think about how pleased, how flattered YOU would be if you gave a heartfelt love letter to the person you were dating and then on your next date that person RECITED IT BACK TO YOU BY HEART, FROM MEMORY! (Okay, some people might be frightened by that but you get the point. I.e., because most of us wouldn’t write a love letter in the first place if we had just started dating, if we didn’t already have a good idea of their character and suitability, I would definitely be flattered and view that as a huge positive/plus!)]. I mean, for any mere mortal (let alone such a flawed one as I) to be able to memorize much less recite at one time anything so voluminous as the ENTIRE BIBLE would have to attract a ton of attention – religious, media, academic/intellectual, and otherwise.
So what I currently envision is making a whole week (month?) of it (since the Bible could never be recited in just one day) and use that event to focus the world’s attention on the Bible – its literal, functional, actual power, regardless of the vessel – and our precious Savior. I am highly confident that such will be sustained far beyond that event/week/month via the resultant ministries (discussed here) but even if it weren’t, just being used to direct the world’s focus on the Lord of the Word and the Word of the Lord even for a minute would single-handedly make my entire life very worthwhile.
Of course, none of this will happen if the Lord doesn’t lead enough like-minded Bible-loving believers to serve as His hand and fingers by getting behind this and supporting it in whatever ways they’re able as listed in the Side Panel at the top-right of this page. Because if I can’t devote FULL-TIME to finishing that ginormous task (there’s a reason it’ll be the first time in human history) it wouldn’t happen. (I could probably finish the whole New Testament on a part-time basis but He deserves so I am dead-set on ALL of His Word, BOTH halves, so I need to start doing so full-time.) And that’s also why it’s so important that Lord-led believers also spread the word and “share” this and the other posts with everyone they know, by word-of-mouth and/or on their social media platforms, to “follow” this blog and subscribe to the Bible Memory YouTube Channel, and to sponsor this whole thing via the Donate button above or below and to check that little box on the PayPal page and become a Monthly Partner in this endeavor, even if just for ten bucks a month (just 33 cents a day).
I already KNOW that the Bible is so powerful that being ingested (memorized) even by just one person – no matter how flawed – will absolutely shake the world to its core and produce some downright amazing, jaw-dropping things and I can hardly wait to see exactly what He has in store but it’s exciting beyond description even in foresight… methinks the world is about to get a real eye-opener, and I can’t thank you enough for being a big part of that!
So that’s the vision in a few paragraphs. There’s so much more to say and share but I’ll do so via future posts. For now, I just want to end this one by testifying to the fact that the Bible has not only saved me – in every way a person could possibly be saved: spiritual, physical, emotional, relational – but has put me squarely on the proverbial “cloud nine” each and every day. Just under the umbrella of the Holy Trinity, the Bible has become my all-in-all in this life, because it’s the bridge that joins me to the Holy Trinity. Day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute. One of the taglines or mottos of this Blog is “HAPPINESS GUARANTEED.” Because, to borrow a phrase from Ephesians 3:20, I’m exceeding abundantly beyond certain that anyone who regularly ”follows” this blog and these posts – who “reads ’em and heeds ’em” – will absolutely see a tangible and wonderful and constant increase in their sense of happiness and joy and peace and love in their day-to-day life. And believe me when I say that such won’t be because of me but in spite of me. Not because of me but wholly, fully, and solely because of the BIBLE. Its power. Its work. Its utter endurance (1 Peter 1:23,25; Psalm 19:9; Matthew 5:18; John 10:35). Its “tried and true” nature (Proverbs 30:5). Its tangible effect on anyone it indwells – and the stronger the indwelling (Colossians 3:16), the stronger the effect and effects.
Which brings me to my final point. There’s no question that to MAXIMIZE those effects and benefits and rewards, a person will need to INGEST the Bible, to MEMORIZE it themselves, to literally place it INSIDE themselves – their mind and therefore body and life. But the Bible is SO powerful that just as in nature a virus spreads from person to person, so also the effect and effects of the Bible can be realized just by PROXIMITY. Not to the same EXTENT as if ingested by that person, but for those who don’t think they have the time or inclination (yet!) to memorize the Bible on a regular, systematic basis themselves, I’m thrilled to tell you that just being close (via regular exposure to these posts) to someone who DOES will still have a major effect and benefit in your life. It’s my honor to have you here and to SHOW you what I mean as the coming months and years unfold.
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About This Blog
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryJust as giving you the backstory on how this whole thing came about was appropriate for the subject matter of the very first post, it seems equally fitting that the second post should share the ins and outs of this blog, of all future posts, so without further ado…
You might notice that I don’t intend to include dates on these posts. There might be exceptions, like if a post is time-sensitive (e.g., commenting and/or giving a biblical perspective on a breaking news event, etc.), but this will be the general rule of thumb. Why? Two reasons.
First, because as you’ll see more and more as this journey progresses, the Bible is absolutely and utterly TIMELESS. Like the precious Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Hebrews 13:8), His inextricable Word, the Bible, NEVER CHANGES. Proverbs 30:5 makes clear that “EVERY word of God is TESTED”, or literally, is “tried” – tried and found totally blameless and flawless and without fault or error. It’s perfect because it’s from the perfect God. It’s a flawless book because its Author is flawless (the Holy Spirit). It’s the only truly perfect tangible thing in the universe because of how infinitely-closely-tied – indeed, inextricable – it is to the perfect Lord Jesus Christ, “who committed NO SIN” (1 Peter 2:22), “who knew NO SIN” (2 Corinthians 5:21 [much more on this in a future post, one of the most life-changing for me personally, and I GUARANTEE it’ll be the same for you so please stay tuned for that. Very timely note: if you’d like to automatically be notified when future posts are published, simply click on the grey “Follow Bible Memory” button in item “3.” in the side panel to the right or at the very bottom of this page! It’s totally FREE and you can cancel anytime but I’ll go out on a limb and predict that you never will, that these Bible-centered and very practical and sometimes even personal posts will bring such benefit and reward and ongoing joy into your life that the thought of canceling will never even enter your mind but in case I’m wrong about this (UNLIKE the Bible, I myself AM flawed) it’s good you at least have that option! As I often say, HAPPINESS GUARANTEED!]). In fact, not only does the Bible, the Word of God, never change (speaking of its meaning and work and effect, not about the seemingly-endless stream of interpretative “versions” which keep popping up) but God will actually curse anyone who would even TRY to! (Proverbs 30:6 but especially Revelation 22:18-19 … GULP! YIKES!) It reminds me of and indeed epitomizes the adage “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” But in this case, “Since it’s perfect, don’t even try!”
[Another aspect of this blog: as just demonstrated, green print will be used to indicate that it’s an aside, a side thought; this will often though not exclusively be used to further explain a certain word or phrase in a Bible verse so as to make clear that it’s explanatory commentary and not the literal translation.]
But the second and main reason these posts generally won’t be dated is this: while the Bible, the Word of God, never changes, my insights into such DO since the Lord and the Holy Spirit and the Bible itself (all working together) are constantly refining my thoughts and thinking and perspective on various and sundry matters, always performing its “growing” work (1 Peter 2:2 – “Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word [i.e., the Bible, God’s Word], that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” … much more on this, too, in a future post), so I will reflect that in these posts, i.e., as the Lord and Word bring other verses or additional light on the subject matter to my own mind, in my view it would be downright criminal NOT to share those with you and future readers by adding them to that post.
Also, while my life and by extension this website and blog posts will remain focused on the Person and work and ongoing ministries of the Lord Jesus Christ and under that umbrella on His Word, the Bible, He in His loving sovereignty has brought about (in spite of myself) quite a life story, and has taught me so many aspects of His nature and Word through those life lessons and experiences and journey that I can tell upfront right now that it would be absolutely impossible for me NOT to also share those with you, and I look greatly forward to that, not only because I have a very strong hunch that they will be a big blessing to you as you hear about those and especially all the ways God has used them in my life and I’m sure will in YOUR life as well, but also because it will give Him the opportunity, the wide open door to multiply said usefulness and to further give me the opportunity to fulfill 1 Peter 2:9 and “proclaim the excellencies of Him”! Win/win/win. Sounds good to me!
The Lord has graciously given me a number of strengths and talents and skills but I can assure you that anything “mechanical” isn’t one of them! To put it mildly. (Those who’ve known me for a while especially in my childhood would probably say that this statement should earn me an Oscar nomination for biggest understatement in a lead role.) But an amazing thing has happened on the way to memorizing entire books of the Bible: it has, in a hard-if-not-impossible-to-fully-describe-or-explain kind of way, “activated” to a whole other level the all-sufficient, utterly-comprehensive teaching ministry of/by the Holy Spirit as clearly set forth in 1 John 2:27 – “And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have NO NEED for ANYONE to teach you; but as His anointing (i.e., the Holy Spirit) teaches YOU about ALL THINGS, and is true…” I love that phrase “no need”. While I can testify first-hand that there is massive benefit from exposing one’s life and mind to the “accurately-divided” (2 Timothy 2:15) Bible-based teaching and preaching of those whom He has given said gift (Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:28), this verse clearly teaches the importance of being DEPENDENT only and ultimately on the Holy Spirit for this. (After all, who better to teach us a book than its author! Makes sense.) I also love that phrase “all things”. And that’s the main point of this paragraph, because I find that His teaching and guiding isn’t limited only to the Bible (I can also testify to this first-hand, because He leads and guides me regularly about matters that aren’t specifically addressed in the Bible, several of which are of a modern-day nature which the Bible absolutely addresses and covers in general but sometimes not in specific like whether or which kind of car to drive, whether or where to go for a vacation, things like that. But thankfully, the Holy Spirit’s teaching and leading truly does cover “all things” just like that verse says. And for a very recent and pertinent example, like I said, I’m perhaps the LEAST “mechanically-inclined” person on the planet. Sports? Almost all of them. Musical instruments? A few. But mechanical things like trying to fix a car or, say, Build a website? Never! At least never before. Because the programmer who was supposed to build this one had some sort of personal/family emergency arise partway through and couldn’t finish and I couldn’t find another programmer willing to finish what a different programmer had started (fully understandable) so would you believe that I asked the Lord and specifically the Holy Spirit to help, to teach me how to do so – I who have been singularly non-mechanical since birth – and indeed I cited that very verse to Him and would you believe that what you’re seeing with your own eyes as you read this and visit this website is the result? (You’re probably thinking, “Yeah, I actually DO believe that this website was built by someone not mechanically skilled!” but trust me, it was a minor miracle for Him to do that given just how non-mechanical I’ve always been.)
As noted in the “Proof of Authenticity” section on the home page (which you can always get back to with a single click on the BibleMemory.ORG logo at the very top-left of all pages, to the left of the long red bar of different functions/sections of this website), one of the most important things about the decision to launch this whole project/ministries-to-be/website was to demonstrate that it is indeed 100% authentic, not just someone talking about memorizing the entire Bible but actually well on the way (3 of 66, 1/22 of the way there, almost 5% already… and I’m just getting started!) so that’s when I had the idea to demonstrate such by making videos of my reciting those first three books of the Bible from memory. And the only way I could think of to do so WITHOUT any chance of “cheating” was to go down to my local Walmart and buy one of those sleeping blindfolds. First, please know that recording myself has always been and shall undoubtedly forevermore be one of my LEAST favorite activities in life. Second, please know that recording myself while wearing a sleeping blindfold is THE least favorite activity and looks so strange to me BUT a very small price to pay for the perennially important purpose of leaving no doubt whatsoever as to my sincerity about this (not-so-)little project and the progress made so far (without which I never would’ve spent the large amount of time and expense to record those, build this website, etc.). So I’m going to publish those videos as a blog post after the first few foundational ones but in the future will post them here as I finish memorizing and truly knowing them “by heart” (i.e., in chronological order) but will post them at the very bottom of the home page in their biblical order so it’ll be much easier to find a specific book and to track my overall progress as I seek to become the first person in known human history to MEMORIZE the ENTIRE BIBLE – all 66 books – and then recite His own words back to Him as a (very unique and massive-but-still-not-nearly-enough) love/thank-You gift to the Lord for all He does and Who He is! Somebody should’ve done this by now, a long time ago, 2,000 years is way too long but I think the Lord Himself will agree, better late than never! And this gift will not just be from me but from and on behalf of every person who supports this in whatever ways they’re comfortably able!
Lastly (I hope that sound I just heard wasn’t a bunch of people cheering) (all kidding aside, future posts will usually be fairly brief… these first few, not so much since they’re of a foundational nature) and as you’ve probably already noticed, I intend to put specific Bible references in bold print, for the same reason just noted, to keep the Bible front and center on this website and blog and burgeoning ministry as it is in my own mind and life. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that doing so will never bring about failure but failing to do so will. Besides, apart from the Lord and His indescribably powerful yet precious Word, I am NOTHING; and the more and more I grow in love with Him via the Bible, the more and more I “grow in HATE” for my self/flesh, that part of me which is anti-God and anti-everything-good but which will continue to envelop each and every one of us for the rest of our natural life. More on this, too, in a future post… another major life-changer I can hardly wait to share with you.
Looks like I have a lot of writing/sharing ahead so stay tuned!
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Welcome to the BibleMemory.ORG blog!
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryIt is such an honor to publish the very first post of the BibleMemory.ORG blog!
First and foremostly, I want to thank the Lord for His immense goodness and grace in making this a reality. And His patience with me on a daily (if not HOURLY!) basis. And for His providing the funding to build this website and obtain the most PERFECT domain name for a ministry (.org) focused on Bible Memory (BibleMemory) – put those two together and here we are. Amazing. I STILL can hardly believe that it was available for my use, but as I’ve seen my entire life and entire adult life in particular, when God is truly in something, it will never lack his support and provision. Even down to a website address. Incredible.
Speaking of His provision, I decided to leave my job in order to focus FULL-TIME on memorizing the ENTIRE BIBLE since that’ll take several years and I’d much rather accomplish that BEFORE I die. Kidding aside, thankfully when I was working I was able to allocate enough in my life savings to fund this website out of my own pocket as well as enough to last another few months for it to get off the ground but again, when He is truly involved in any venture HE WILL lead other believers to also get behind it, and based on the enthusiastic reaction from the comparatively few people I’ve told about this in recent months, I already know that He will lead many like-minded Bible-loving believers to do just that and to be the fuel which powers this historic project and the ministries which flow forth from it. (We’re about to find out!)
That will obviously be crucial (if I ever stop publishing posts or videos you’ll know why!) but EVEN FAR MORE so is the dire need for your PRAYERS and those of as many people you can tell about this as possible. I am absolutely DESPERATE for the intercession of my brothers and sisters in Christ on behalf of this project and burgeoning ministry and by extension for me personally. That I will remain faithful to “keep on keeping on” in this call to memorize the ENTIRE BIBLE which He has placed in my heart. And further to OBEY and APPLY in my daily life that which I memorize. And to remain humble. And submitted and committed to His will in general and in this matter in specific. And that He would indeed lead all who visit this website to “spread the Word by spreading the word” and tell their friends, family and followers on their social media platforms as well as word-of-mouth, as well as the other ways to help out as indicated in the Side Panel near the top of each page. And that He would use this project and website and resultant ministries not only to bring immense blessing to the lives of others – starting with YOU! – but also massive CHANGE, that this would literally have a LIFE-CHANGING effect on all who visit, marked by a tangible and indeed dramatic increase in their current level of love, joy, peace, and ALL the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). And then for them to have the same effect on their loved ones and strangers alike. And that He will richly reward – not only in the life to come but also in THIS life (1 Timothy 4:8) – every single person who supports this in any way they can, to repay them TENFOLD (or more) and in amazing, jaw-dropping ways.
If enough like-minded Bible-loving believers do just that, I am absolutely, 100% CERTAIN that the day will indeed come when I will recite the ENTIRE BIBLE from memory, from heart – and please know that it will be a love gift and thank-You gift to the Lord not only from me but from and on behalf of every person who makes that a reality by their thoughtful support. What day that will be. In my view it’ll be the second-most “day of rejoicing” in all of history, that a group of Bible-loving believers would MAKE HISTORY TOGETHER in this very unique and never-done-before and most-pleasing way. May He be greatly and ongoingly glorified in, through, and by all of this.
Lastly, it seems the best way to end this very first post would be to tell you the backstory of how BibleMemory.ORG came about, so without further ado, here it is, which I’ve also given a permanent place on this website’s About page.
About
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Welcome to BibleMemory.ORG! I’m DJ Bible and I’ll be your host. I’ve been memorizing Bible verses my entire life, starting with “BMA” (the long-defunct Bible Memory Association) at age 2 or 3 or 4 then in Sunday School and “AWANA” as a child and teenager. And ever since. It has become like both oxygen and blueberries to me: I need it and want it. It not only sustains me but also produces enormous tangible benefits in my day-to-day life – spiritual, emotional, relational, and even physical (Proverbs 4:20-23; verse 22 highlights the physical aspect/benefits) – totally life-transforming and amazing and I can hardly wait to demonstrate all of this for you, it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE, guaranteed. Directly, or by osmosis (i.e., the blessing and blessings borne by reading and/or listening to anyone whose brain is brimming with the Bible).
I’ll delve into all of that in great depth in future posts but for now it will suffice to say that I started out memorizing various Bible verses in a “sporadic” manner based on the curriculum of those various programs but now I do so on a regular, systematic basis, i.e., verse-by-verse, book-by-book – and what a difference that has made! (“All the difference in the world” as my mom always said while I was growing up.) It has taken my life to a whole new level. In every way, in every area.
I’ll discuss the specifics of how that all came about in a moment but at some point the thought hit me to actually “spin out” VIDEOS first of my reciting entire books of the Bible from memory and then detailing the specific memory method which the Bible itself is making known to me (the “enlightening the eyes” of Psalm 19:8 in action!) and ever since, everyone started calling me DJ Bible and the nickname stuck and I can’t think of one that I’d rather have or which would be more near-and-dear to my heart so that’s the backstory. Almost everyone who hears my life story has told me to write a book about it; while my favorite subject in life used to be myself, the Bible – and especially memorizing it – did a 180 in my mind, in my life, such that now I’m literally the last thing I like to talk about and instead prefer to speak of the Bible and the Lord Jesus first, last, and everywhere in between. So I don’t have any plans to write a book about my life – as interesting and unique as it has certainly been – but I did register the internet domain name DJBible.org for a personal website should the Lord ever lead me to do so but for now will just direct it to this website, BibleMemory.ORG. I wish there were far more ways I could rightly compare myself to the beloved and beyond-amazing Apostle Paul, but other than viewing myself as “the biggest sinner”, one of the few other ways I feel like I’m on his same level is found in 1 Corinthians 9:16 – as was the case with Paul and preaching the Gospel/Bible, so also I can honestly say “Woe is me if I do NOT memorize the Bible.” Per one of the taglines, this is my ministry, my passion, and indeed my very life. And I couldn’t be any more thrilled about that!
Speaking of websites, and as promised a few minutes ago, here’s how BibleMemory.ORG came about:
For years I tried to think of something I could do to please the Lord in a very unique, above-and-beyond, historic way, so as to adequately express my love and gratitude for Him – for all He’s done, for all He does, and just for who He is!
And not too long ago, He came calling and a light bulb went on in my head and heart. I got it! I got it! I thought of something I just KNOW He’ll absolutely LOVE! To memorize the ENTIRE BIBLE, every word which He has written to us, then to QUOTE HIS OWN WORDS BACK TO HIM!
I immediately realized how zonked even a sinner like me would be if I were to write a long love letter to a woman I was dating at the time and then at a future point she responded by quoting that letter back to me word-for-word! I’m just a dirty rotten sinner saved by grace, He’s the God of all creation and power and purity and perfection so how much more would this mean to HIM?! I think a lot. Lots and lots. Oodles times a trillion.
The conversation (which occurred entirely in my soul, not ears, not audibly you’ll be glad to know 🙂 ) which immediately followed on that occasion, when this thought first hit my head and heart, went something like this:
Me: “But, Lord, I’m the LEAST likely and logical and capable person to pull off such a historic task, which nobody else in known human history has been able to do and I don’t have an overly great mind to begin with, I’m no genius, so how on earth can this be?”
God (again, not audibly but in my spirit – exactly as referenced in Proverbs 20:27): “Fear not, just start doing it, just memorize the first few verses of the first selected book and I through My Word will take care of the rest and make it happen.”
Me: “But, Lord, I’m still just a human vessel and a very flawed one at that, even if You make it happen it would take years and I’ve got bills to pay so have to spend most of my time working my job as You know. I’m really, really sorry but I just don’t have nearly enough time to accomplish that!”
God: “Fear not, I have already prepared many like-minded Bible-loving believers who will support this so you can dedicate your life FULL-TIME to it and thus this shall be a gift to Me not just from thee but from them, from every person who will indeed heed My lead and meet that need.”
Me: “Huh? You think enough people will actually donate to the cause of Bible memory? You’re omniscient so I know You know that most people cringe at even the thought of trying to memorize anything much less the Bible much less the ENTIRE Bible. Political candidates? Sure, people donate literally millions of dollars to them in just a FEW HOURS, that has become commonplace any more, but donating to the cause of Bible memory, how can this be?”
God: “It is. Because I AM.”
Me: “Okay, Lord, I’ll do it, I’ll dedicate my life and devote FULL-TIME to fulfilling this calling, but YOU are going to have to do it because I can’t, I’m not even a thousandth smart enough to memorize an entire BOOK of the Bible much less all SIXTY-SIX of them. And I’ll dedicate my entire life savings to getting started but YOU are going to have to cause enough Lord-led like-minded Bible-loving believers to even hear about this and then support it because my life savings alone would only last a number of months and I’m going to need several years even WITH Your holy help, due to the sheer volume of Your written utterances and my own utter inadequacy.”
God: “Good, My child. As I say multiple times in the Bible, ‘He who believes in Me will not, shall not be disappointed.’ [Slight pause] What are you waiting for? Get going! Get to it! Because after I accomplish this work, I’m going to use it in many ways, to bring forth many ministries out of it, so get going, My child!”
And so I did. (How could I not after that?!) I decided right then and there to leave my job and devote FULL-TIME to pursuing this calling, this history-making undertaking, and remarkably I wasn’t even nervous because I was and remain utterly certain that He’s totally in this, and then He proved that almost immediately. (He didn’t need to, but He did.)
How, you might ask? Well, I knew that I’d need to chronicle this in real-time, not just for present but also future purposes, so that meant I needed to build a website, the very first step of which is getting a good Domain Name/URL, a good website address. One which would be really easy to remember but also clearly and quickly and succinctly explain what the website is all about. All of the really good ones are almost always taken, as I’m sure you know. Even the ones which aren’t actually being used have been bought by someone hoping to sell it for a handsome profit.
And that’s when He made it absolutely, unmistakably, inescapably clear just how much He is in this and just how intimately and directly involved He has been from the very start.
Let’s put it this way: if one were starting a ministry focusing on Bible memory, what would be the good no great no perfect domain name? Yep. I was zonked (showing my lack of faith and how easy it is for such to creep in even just in human terms… Hebrews 12:1 demonstrated) when I checked the absolutely perfect domain for this: BibleMemory.org (of course!). I remember thinking, “No way would THAT domain be available, no way would it NOT already be taken like twenty years ago! Not even worth checking, don’t waste your time.” Wrong! Wrong! Because when the Lord is truly in something, miracles happen and needs are met, and as you now know if you’re reading this on the website, unbelievably, unthinkably, the website address BibleMemory.org was indeed available for my use, just waiting for me to follow the Lord’s amazing lead and provision and to put it to use in order to chronicle this historic project, what is sure to be an amazing journey. And after getting over my shock and amazement that THE PERFECT domain name was actually AVAILABLE for me to use, that’s exactly what I did and the rest, as they say, is history. Or more accurately in this case, history in the making. (Literally! In real-time!)
And just one additional thought about something I said above, about how the Lord intends to bring forth several ministries out of this historic undertaking, this first step of MEMORIZING the ENTIRE BIBLE! (Gulp! Humanly speaking, it hurts my head just thinking about the enormity of this task.)
I mention several on the home page but will highlight just one of them here.
Psalm 19:7-8 has long been one of my all-time favorite passages (and chapters) of Scripture (along with John 3, Colossians 3, and Matthew 5-7 among many others but these would have to top the list). It clearly states that the Bible “restores the soul”, “makes wise the simple”, “rejoices the heart”, and “enlightens the eyes”. (If I were in a poetic mood I’d say that it “restores, makes wise, and opens the eyes!”) And these are just two short verses of over 3,100! And as you might imagine, the Bible has a lot more to say about itself but even just these two are fully, infinitely sufficient to CHANGE ONE’S LIFE. Literally.
In fact, let’s just take one of them, verse 8. Even just since I heeded the Lord’s call and started this task of memorizing the ENTIRE Bible, I can tell you that an otherwise-inexplicable and unfading sense of joy has manifested itself in my daily life, even more than before. “Rejoices the heart” indeed!
But I want to hone in on the second half of that verse, that the Bible also “enlightens the eyes”. You see, when I first set out to memorize an entire book of the Bible, the New Testament book of James (because of how practical and easily-applied it is, so given to daily application, almost like a shorter version of the Old Testament book of Proverbs), well, to say that it was a daunting task would likely earn me an Oscar nomination for Biggest Understatement in a Supporting Role. I remember thinking to myself, “There’s no way!” But something funny, something amazing happened on the way to obeying that calling of the Lord to “just start doing it, just memorize the first few verses of the first selected book and I’ll take care of the rest” as described above. I did just that, I memorized the first verse, then the second, then the third, and much to my amazement with each verse and certainly with every few chapters, it got EASIER. And before I knew it, the very first entire chapter was in-the-bag, a done deal. I was so excited! How could this be? How could it be that the more I stuffed into my mind, the more I was then able to pour in? The more I ate, the hungrier I got!
As you know, this is totally opposite of everything we learned in science class when we were in school. But what our wonderful teachers didn’t take into account is that the Bible isn’t like a glass of water. That the human mind – especially when filled with the right thing – isn’t like the human stomach. And the combination of the two is more powerful than any and indeed ALL of the chemicals we combined in those countless science-class experiments.
How can this be? How can this be? I attribute it fully to that verse, Psalm 19:8, that the Bible does indeed “enlighten the eyes” when ingested. When consumed. When swallowed. It might look nice sitting on a table or desk or dresser or nightstand, but it only goes to work and “does its thing” when poured into one’s mind.
And man oh man, did that ever prove to be true in my case, in my firsthand experience. Because before I knew it, I was able to recite that entire book of James. And it wasn’t that hard, it wasn’t nearly so scary as I had thought when first starting out. And you know what? I kept going and started memorizing the book of Hebrews and guess what, those thirteen chapters were even EASIER than the five of James! And memorizing the entire book of 1 Peter was EVEN EASIER! It’s exponential. It’s amazing. It’s certainly a minor miracle if not technically a full-blown, official one. Just ask what was the mind of an A/B/C-student when I first began at James 1:1.
But there’s even more to this story. Because the more of the Bible I’ve memorized, the more and more a SPECIFIC memory METHOD is taking shape, is falling into place, piece by beautiful piece. And once completed, I intend to share it with you and with the world, to shout it from the mountaintops, and am absolutely certain that it will have the same effect on others as it has on me, that it will enable and empower virtually ANYONE to memorize and RETAIN massive amounts of the Bible and ANYTHING ELSE! I’d go on to describe the many, many, many tangible benefits of this but that would take hours so I’ll save that for future posts. Stay tuned. Your life is about to be revolutionized. (Like Georges Foreman and Zimmer say in those Meineke and Men’s Wearhouse TV ads, “I guarantee it!”)
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If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
3. Add your name to my Prayer List!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
5. Share this post on your social media by clicking on one or more of these platforms:
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